


Happiness.exe

by OoXLR8oO



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-28
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-09-02 00:17:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 30,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16775812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OoXLR8oO/pseuds/OoXLR8oO
Summary: February, 2039. A new conspiracy has surfaced. Or rather, an old conspiracy has resurfaced...Isaac Kirtley. He’s Detroit’s resident thief, at the ripe old age of 15. He’s someone who has an inhuman amount of hatred for both humans and androids, opting to live in total isolation. He’s also bat-shit crazy. Atleast that’s what people would think of him.With just one seemingly meaningless decision, Isaac launched himself into a world of adventure. A world he thought no longer existed.In a world where life is becoming more machine-like and machines are becoming more life-like, how does one truly feel alive?





	1. The Junkyard

**Author's Note:**

> This fan fiction has been formatted specifically for the PC version of AO3 and as a result, may look a bit strange on mobile devices. Hopefully, that’s not too big of a deal.
> 
> Temporary: The time stamps as of right now are a bit off. I will get to work on properly implementing them into the story. I will also work on refining story details.
> 
> This is not a perfect story, and by no means, am I a perfect writer. English is my least favourite subject, but I really wanted to write this after playing the game. Don’t listen to the haters, this game is a hidden masterpiece XD.
> 
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=DISCLAIMERS-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
> All characters, except Isaac, Arthur and Regina Kirtley (my own original characters) belong to QUANTIC DREAM, and subsequently, Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game known as Detroit: Become Human, and its universe also belong to the aforementioned studio and publisher respectively. I make absolutely nothing from writing this story, and is purely for entertainment purposes. I would also really appreciate it if you don't copy my work and distribute it for money. Thank you.
> 
> STATUS -> INCOMPLETE

**February 5th, 2039 2:04 AM**

The rain continued its merciless crusade against the soil of the Junkyard. Sometimes, they’d crash into the ground. Sometimes, they’d hit the rough exterior of my dark navy coloured jacket, but on most occasions, they’d strike against the biocomponents that littered the polluted landfill. What are biocomponents? Biocomponents are like the organs of an android. Much in the same way humans have organs like the heart or lungs. Spotlights scanned the area like officers on patrol. Some were focused on androids limping along the ground, others were surveying the different pathways. Disturbing thoughts always seem to enter my mind whenever I enter the Junkyard. To an extent, I felt sorry for the androids that are stuck here, without any supply of Thirium to power their escape. But then, again, my mind is almost always full of disturbing thoughts.

It’s about as dark as Detroit can possibly get in the month of February. And honestly, I’m not that surprised it’s raining. I’m surprised it’s not snowing, given the amount of snow I had seen earlier today, I thought this place wouldn’t be any different. But anyway, now’s not the time to be distracted by the weather. Now is the time to plunder. To steal and salvage whatever I can find in this dirty dump. I mean, it’s not stealing if it was thrown away, right?

With a place as isolated as the Junkyard, security is a piece of cake. From what I’ve learnt from the alarm system, officers will come out to investigate if I stand in any of those spotlights.

“ _You know what to do._ ” It said. The ominous voice that’s been lingering in my head for the past couple of years. I don’t really know who or what it is, but so far, it seems to be on my side, pointing out potential dangers before I could. So I listen to it, paying attention to it whenever I can.

“A pump regulator, a couple of arms and few wires, that’s it right?” I confirmed, as I checked through the list on my smart watch. It doesn’t look much different from a normal watch, sporting a jet black colour and would completely wrap around my wrist and a small portion of my arm. On the inside, it’s a whole other story. Underneath, the watch is loaded full of wires with Thirium running through them, allowing for an unbelievably resilient battery life. It’s a bit too big for a watch, complete with an interface and an absurd amount of computing power, for hacking, of course. Just hook this baby up to any electronic device and it’s all mine. All except for androids. And of course, it was made by Yours Truly, made from the biocomponents found in this exact Junkyard. The voice said nothing in return. “Alright then, don’t talk.”

Just going up to one of the mounds of androids feels like a miniature mountain up close. Androids were absolutely everywhere. It’s an odd sight really. The dark, brown Junkyard and the white. relatively clean androids that are littered everywhere. Some of them grabbed my feet, as if that was actually going to do anything. I have no intention of giving them anything. I had bigger fish to fry, like my managing my own life for instance. This may be 2039, but it’s still The Law Of The Jungle here in Detroit.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted an android with its pump regulator still intact. I close in to extract the pump out of its chest. It’s seen me too, and it’s trying to back away. But it doesn’t matter. It was never going to outrun me. I pinned it down, the android showing a surprising amount of strength. But I mentioned earlier, it doesn’t matter.

“ _Why don’t you let it live?"_ The voice returned.

“It’s on the brink of death,” I replied. “I’m simply helping it happen faster, that’s all. That’s all there is to it. Nothing more.”

“ _I thought you said machines don’t die._ ”

“...You get what I mean.” Now that the pump is out, it’ll only be a minute before it shuts down completely. I looked around to make sure nobody was around. Thirium was leaking out of the android, where it’s pump regulator used to be. The spotlights aren’t making their way here for a little while so I salvaged the pump, wires and the android’s arms and put them into my bag. In the meantime, I found a washed-out business card. On it were the words:

**Anderson & Co. Private Investigators**

The card had an address too, but I didn’t know where it was. Maybe I can use it later.

“Cool.” I thought, shoving it into a small pocket in my bag. The card probably just got thrown from over the fence or something. What bothered me was that there was an address, but not a phone number, or just any way to contact this ‘Anderson’ person. Maybe he only talks in person. Or maybe he just hates phones. I would’ve been on my way out if I hadn’t noticed something sitting in the rain. Something that shouldn’t belong here. I crept over to it.

It was a black pouch. And it was flooding with water. Presumably from the rain. It was one of those pouches you would tie around your waist.

“ _It’s probably been here for atleast a few months,_ ” The mysterious voice answered, before I could even ask. “ _We’ve already got what we came here for, let’s get out of here._ ” It doesn’t seem to understand that I wasn’t interested in the pouch. How on Earth does a pouch make its way into the Junkyard? It’s definitely not an officer’s pouch, there’s no name on it and nobody’s come to get it. I haven’t really seen anything like this anywhere else. It’s in pretty good condition. Certainly not bad enough to warrant throwing it away. But what’s really strange is that there’s nothing in it. Nothing. So how does an empty pouch, in reasonably good condition, make its way in the Junkyard? Wait, what if it belonged to one of these androids? They’re bound to have something interesting, right? 

Like a detective at a crime scene, I scoured the near vicinity, hoping to find more traces. This time, I spotted a fragment of orange in the mud. I snuck over to it. It was a piece of cloth. One side was black, the side was a bright orange. The orange side was especially soft. My theory was right. This definitely didn’t belong to an officer. I scanned the place once more, hoping for more clues. My eyes finally settled on one particular android, submerged under atleast another ten androids. It’s arm stuck out from the pile. And it was wearing a black and orange vest. I raced over, being cautious of the spotlights. Once I was just an arm’s length away, I noticed something strange.

It’s hand was closed. Like it was holding something. But what was it holding?

“ _And why was it important enough that the android held it out from underneath the dozens of androids above it?_ ”

“Let’s find out, shall we?” I replied. I put my hands on it’s pale fist, positioning my fingers to pull the android’s fingers apart from the fist. I swiftly opened the fist like a pirate opening a treasure chest.

It was a chip. It was no bigger than the screen on my watch. There appears to some kind of writing on it, but I can’t make out what it is. It was probably smudged from the rain. Why would an android rip out something as important as a chip? Actually, something about it’s shape struck me in a weird way. It looked like an octagon that’s been stretched a bit too far. I’ve seen the shape before. I quickly turned to the back of my watch, and voila, a compartment, and exactly the same size too. I slid the chip into the compartment, hoping it would do something, but to no avail.

“ _Maybe it’s not waterproof?_ ” Even the voice had no idea what to think. A chip is a strange biocomponent because it doesn’t partake in the physical function of an android. Instead, it handles everything else. Memories, processing, you name it, the chip probably does it. But I haven’t really read up on that, so I’ll have to do that once I get back to my hideout. Speaking of which...

The ground around me lit up in a bright red light. Alarms were blaring loudly.

“Shit, I forgot about the lights.” I thought.

“ _Just find a spot and hide NOW._ ” The voice ordered. And I obeyed without hesitation. I hid behind a mound of androids, hoping the officer doesn’t conveniently walk this way.

“ _Curiosity killed the cat..._ ” The voice eerily said.

“Listen, we’re not gonna get caught, okay?” I talked back. “Just trust me.” Communicating with the strange voice does feel weird, technically, I’m not actually saying anything, just thinking of the words I want to say. Two officers walked into the Junkyard. This is bad. Really bad.

“Shit, you think there’s an intruder?” The officer asked his partner. The second officer is busy looking around for signs, anything that proves I’m still here.

“ _Unfortunately for them, they will never find out._ ” I’m searching for an escape, just some way that can get me as far away from trouble as possible.

“Well, do you have any idea how to get out of here?” I questioned the voice. I know, it’s sounds like I’ve got brain damage or something, but I assure you, I’m perfectly fine. Just out of the corner of the eye, a strange shadow is lingering behind another mound. I rubbed my eyes, just to make sure I wasn’t seeing things.

“ _Follow my shadow, you imbecile._ ”

“Hey now, I’m not that dumb-“

“It’s probably just a false alarm, Johnny, let’s get out of this shithole.” One of the officers walked back inside, followed by Jonny. That was close.

“Looks like the coast is clear.” I said to the voice. I was met with silence. Again. I let out a large breath I didn’t even know I was holding in, and slowly make my way past the fragile security. I wonder what the voicemeant by ‘follow my shadow’...


	2. Mind Palace

**February 5th, 2039 2:46 AM**

With a satisfying click, I locked the front door. The hideout was always a strange place to me. That’s mainly because it’s not really my hideout. Granted, I’m the one living in it, but most of the stuff I have was already here. So, in a way, it’s my hideout, but it’s not my hideout at the same time. The whole room was lit in an ominous green, though I’ve become accustomed to it. It used to scare me when I was younger. But not anymore. It’s more relieving than anything. On one side, there was a really old computer setup with CPUs everywhere and a monitor that was around about the same size as a normal television screen. There were some particularly strange things like an entire furnace setup. Hell, there’s even a weird contraption that extracts the Thirium out of Red Ice. This is all pretty awesome, but who was here? And why did they leave all of this behind? I don’t really know. The really cool part about this place is whoever was here before me, intended on staying hidden, just like me. The hideout itself is connected to its own special power grid so that it doesn’t attract any attention from the authorities. The whole place was sprawling with wires and other intricate devices. It’s a bit like someone’s workplace, except it also happens to be a few metres from my bed.

On the other side of the room, I had things that people would normally have inside their house, like a couch, bed, kitchen, books, a whole bunch of old DVDs, complete with a DVD player. Every couple of nights, when I’m not trespassing into the Junkyard, I would just boot up an old movie and have as much fun as I could. And when I say ‘old movie’, I mean it. Some of the movies on my shelf probably came out way back in the 80s. Sure the DVDs themselves have no worth now, people could just “stream” whatever movie they wanted, but it’s strangely satisfying to know that I own the real deal. I guess that’s called being nostalgic. My favourite spot is the giant window opposite the bed. Sometimes, I’d sit on the ledge and just stare out into the stars. I know that sounds corny, but in a world like this, where everyone and their mother is stressed about something, it’s surprisingly relaxing to just sit down and do nothing every now and then.

But right now, I am in desperate need of a good night’s sleep. It’s three o’clock in the morning. Who knows when I’ll wake up. Lucky for me, I can sleep as much as I want. So I slowly made my way to my bed, making sure I lumbered the whole time. Once I dropped onto the bed, I could barely keep my eyes open. Everything just melted away.

It wasn’t long before I was back in that place again. It always seemed to happen whoever I’m asleeep. I woke up to a brightly-lit room. Except this was a room completely unlike the hideout. The walls of the room were painted in a night scarlet red, my favourite colour. The ground was made of timber spanning every inch of the room. What stood out almost immediately was the absurd amount of books everywhere. Wherever I looked, there was always a bookshelf. And right in the centre, was a large table. This place is a library. But if it’s a library, then where am I? I’ve been trying to answer that question ever since I found it a few weeks ago. Even then, I don’t even know why I found it in the first place. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love reading, but I barely go to a library. If there’s a book I wanted to read, chances are, it would be on a bookshelf in the hideout by the end of the week.

“ _Ah, I see you’ve managed to find this place again,_ ” It was that voice again. Except this time, something felt different. It doesn’t sound as omnipresent as before. It’s like I’m in the room with it. “How are you liking it so far?”

“Where are you?” I demanded. “Enough with the magic tricks.” And there it was. And this time, I wasn’t hallucinating. It was the shadow. That shadow. The one I thought I saw in the Junkyard. Was it real? Is any of this real? “What is this place?” I asked.

“ _I don’t know,_ ” It said. “ _This place is your doing, after all._ ” Curious to see what it meant, I carefully walked over to an old-looking bookshelf, and plucked out a random book. The title read _Who are my parents?_. I put the book back. I knew what the answer was. I didn’t have to read a book to know that. I walked over to another bookshelf. This one looked like it was in a better condition. Like last time, I plucked out another book, curious to see what it would be about. The shadow was carefully surveying my every move, like it knew, but wanted me to find out myself.

“Which American company makes androids?” I scoffed. “Are you kidding me? Everyone and their mother knows that it’s CyberLife.” I darted over to another book. It’s just like before. What kind of library is this? All of the information is just stuff I already knew.

Already knew. That’s it. This library, it’s a collection of everything I know. So it was right all along. Did I built this place? When did I build all of this? Every book in this library is something I know. Unless it’s all in my head. That’s incredible. A mind palace.

“ _Looks like you’ve figured out what this place does,_ ” The shadow said. My right hand suddenly was buzzing uncontrollably. “ _Have you ever heard of a mind palace?_ ”

MODEL **UNKNOWN  
** SERIAL#: **579 102 694  
** BIOS 7.4 REVISION 0483  
 **REBOOT...**

**MEMORY RECOVERED**

**LOADING OS...  
** SYSTEM INITIALIZATION... **OK  
** CHECKING BIOCOMPONENTS... **UNKNOWN  
** INITIALIZING BIOSENSORS... **UNKNOWN  
** INITIALIZING AI ENGINE... **OK**

 **MEMORY STATUS  
** ALL SYSTEMS... **OK**

_**WHO’S THERE? HELLO??** _

“ _That’s a shame, it sounds like you need to be awake now._ ”

“Wait! I just want a bit more-“

THUD.

I woke up on the floor. Unbelievable. I actually fell out of my bed. Again. For the second time this week. What is it with my face kissing the floor every couple of days?

**February 5th, 2039 12:01 PM**

“Can anyone hear me?” The voice spoke out. It isn’t like the the voice I’m used to. It’s nowhere near as gruff and coarse as the one I had been hearing in my head. It was gentle more than anything. Or it might just be the voice modulator I installed. I mean, why not? It’s not like I couldn’t.

“Yeah, yeah I can.” I replied. I was unsure of what else to say.

“Where am I?” The voice asked again. This time, the stress in its voice was less prevalent. It was almost soothing now.

“You’re in... my house,” I hesitated. “I won’t hurt you if that’s what you’re thinking.” There was an audible sigh of relief from my watch. Then it finally hit me. The chip actually worked. It was waterproof. That must be how it survived in the rain.

“Who are you?” It asked another question. This whole conversation is starting to feel more like an interrogation now.

“Me? Uhh my name’s Isaac.” I replied. It’s been so long since I’ve never interacted with androids, let alone humans. “What about you?”

“Kara. My... my name is Kara...” she replied. Something about that wasn’t quite right. Soon enough, my doubts were answered. “Wait... Alice! Luther! Are they okay??” Luther. Why does that name ring a bell? It’s probably just a coincidence.

“Whoa, hold up, who are they?” I asked. No, seriously, I’d don't think I've heard of them in my life. Was I supposed to know who they were?

“They’re androids, I was with them, did they make it? Across the border?”

“How am I supposed to know that?”

“Do you know if they’re safe?”

“NO,” I screamed. “No, I really don’t. I’m sorry.” I continued. Who is she? And what was she talking about?

“ _She answered that a minute ago, genius._ ” That voice answered. The watch started starting talking again. I think the realisation just hit her too.

“Wait, why can’t I feel my arms?” She finally realised. “Where’s my body?”I sat in silence, unsure of how to break the news to her. “Hey, are you there?”

“Yeah, I’m still here,” I instinctively responded. “Your chip’s operating inside my watch right now.”

“Wait, what?!” She exclaimed. Oh I am so done.

“ _Damn right._ ”

“Did you seriously take my memory chip and put it into your watch!?”

“Well, what else am I supposed to do, put into another android?”

“Actually, yes, that was exactly what I was hoping would happen.”

“Oh.” I sighed. Wait a second, that means she’s one of those deviants right? There's no way a normal android could just take out its own memory chip.

“ _Took you long enough._ ”

“Gee, thanks. Maybe you could help a little next time?”

“ _You seem to be doing just fine._ ” I sat there for another couple minutes, trying to formulate something to say. What am I even supposed to say in this situation? Sorry? I thought I wasn’t doing anything wrong. Maybe I did do something wrong. This is exactly why I don’t talk to people. They make life harder than it already is.

“Listen, Kara, I’m...” I hesitated. “...I’m sorry for putting your mind into my watch. I found you in the Junkyard yesterday, and I don’t know, something just... I don’t know how to explain it. But I’m sorry, and if you want, I’ll help you find a real body, but you gotta help me, I can’t really do it by myself, okay?” She didn’t say anything for a full minute.

“Okay.” She finally responded. I have a feeling this is gonna the start of an odd friendship. “So how do you plan on finding another body?” She questioned.

“Well, I just thought of finding another android and replacing it’s memory chip with yours.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad. Where do we find another android?”

“A CyberLife store. Is there one of those anywhere near us?”

“Yeah, there’s one not too far from here. It’s within walking distance.”

“Oh okay, that’s good. Umm I’m gonna pack my bag. Then we’ll set off.”

“Sounds good.”

I picked up my bag from last night. It still had the biocomponents from that landfill last night. I was planning on another invention, but it looks like that may have to wait. I packed a couple of extra things, you know, in case shit happens. I packed a beanie and a spare vest, in case it gets cold. It is a bit of a foggy day today. I might want to wear it. What else to pack? Oh right, a weapon. Because we’re doing this during the day, we have to be ready for anything, and anyone. I quickly scanned the room for something that could really leave a mark on someone. My eyes finally rested on an old crowbar that was rusting away in the corner of the room. I hurriedly grabbed the crowbar and packed it carefully in the bag, so that nobody can see it.

“Huh, it looks like the Thirium dried up.” I wondered.I took out all of the biocomponents from the bag, until I came across that business card again. Anderson...

“Hey Kara, you ever heard of an agency called ‘Anderson and Co.’?”

“No, why?”

“Ehh, atleast it was worth a shot.” I replied half-heartedly. “I don’t know, maybe we could take a detour? Then we could go straight to the CyberLife store?”

“No way. Let’s just get to the store first.”

“Alright, alright, let’s get you a body first, then we’ll go see him.”


	3. Scavengers

**February 5th, 2039 2:58 PM**

“So... you still haven’t explained why your watch has enough computing capacity to support a full-blown android.” Kara asked.

“Huh? Oh, right. That. Umm...” Unbelievable. We met an less than an hour ago and she’s already strangling me with words. That has to be a record. “I need it. To hack into things, and places.” By now, we were well on our way to the local CyberLife store. I didn’t have too much packed, just a little bit of food, water, a few pieces of clothing and a weapon.

“ _Interesting..._ ” The voice whispered. It was curious, but about what? I made the watch so I can hack into places and steal things I need.

“And you’re going to hijack an android in broad daylight?” She asked, this time with a serious tone in her voice. “How do I know you won’t hijack me?” Huh. She has a point. What would stop me from hijacking her or any other android?

“ _Nothing._ ” The voice whispered again. It was almost as if it’s whispering right into my ear. “ _Be glad you can’t hack an android._ ”

“I don’t know how to hijack an android. I didn’t really design the watch to hack into androids, just to be able to support one when the situation arises. Even if I did, I don’t think I’d want to.”

“Oh, you built this yourself?” I hadn’t realised that Kara had no idea that I made it. “That’s... actually really cool.”

“Thanks!” I replied. It was the first time I’d received a compliment for anything, really. I was caught off-guard. “How is it in there? I hope it’s not that bad.” What? What am I doing? What if she just ditches me after I help her? Once she has a body, she’ll have no reason to stick around with me, right?

“ _Look at it the other way, once she has a body, you have no reason to stick around her._ ” The voice advised.

“Okay, so what do you suggest I do?”

“ _It’s up to you pal, you’re in control._ ” So much for advice. Just when I needed it too.

Less than a year ago, Detroit was an incredibly rich city. It was like the underdog city of America, the one that rose up from underneath all of the other giants like New York City and California to become the leading city of technology in America once again. But now, it feels strange. Even though it’s been a few months since the Android Revolution, people are still unimaginably tense. And if you thought humans were heartless before, wait until you see them now. They’re not even biased towards the androids anymore. All that tension, it’s ruined their morality. And I absolutely hate it. People are pushing each other aside, harassing the homeless, disgracing the insane. it’s messed up.

I’m not exactly a psychologist or a philosopher, but I think all of this mean-spirited behaviour has something to do with power. The thing is, power, just like other forms of energy, follows the Law of Conservation of Energy, in that it can’t be created or destroyed, just transferred from one medium or form to another. My theory is that ever since androids became mass-produced and sold to the public, they introduced an unnatural influx of power. It’s just like making energy out of nothing. Their introduction must have disrupted the fragile balance of power and caused people to change psychologically. Power changes people. Maybe that’s why it never changed me or my parents. It’s an decent concept to the say the least, but it’s the best I could come up with to explain all of the shenanigans that went down in the last couple of months.

“Well, would you look at that, we made it to the CyberLife store.” I announced. It’s a little windy. 

“I can’t actually see what’s going on.” She said. “Is there a way to... Oh I got it!” The camera on the watch turned itself on, revealing my face on the screen.

“That’s great, you can see now.” I retorted.

“Oh wow, how old ARE you?”

“Umm...” I drifted off. Let’s see, I was born in 2023, so if it’s 2039 now, and my birthday’s not until September, that means I’m just over fifteen years old. “Fifteen.”

“Wow, that’s pretty young to be by yourself.”

“No it is totally not.”

“Yes, yes it is.”

“Oh look, there’s the store,” I pointed the screen of the watch at the CyberLife store. “Come on, let’s get you a body to walk in!” Kara goes silent. So do I. Maybe I should’ve told her. No. Not now. When I’m ready.

“ _Focus Isaac._ ” The voice returned again. “ _If you screw this up, you’ll be on the DPD’s radar for sure._ ”

“Got it.”

Technically, the store wasn't an official CyberLife store. It was more like an unofficial outlet that sold CyberLife products, known as the Android Zone. The store itself wasn’t particularly big, it was just your typical store along a typical street. The thing is. nearly everything inside the store was the complete opposite of ‘typical’, for it sold androids and even sold some of their biocomponents separately. The store used to be kept in a near pristine condition, but ever since the Android Revolution, an android, let alone a human hasn’t worked in here for a long while.

“Wait a minute, why would there still be any androids in the store Isaac?” Kara questioned.

“ _You moron. Did you seriously forget something?_ ” The voice yelled at me.

“Wait, what do you mean?” Now I’m really confused. What were they on to?

“CyberLife sent all of the remaining androids to the camps, Warren even publicly announced that.” She exclaimed. “You didn’t watch the news?”

“Oh. Oh, you’re right.” I admitted. “Maybe there’s still some spare parts left in the store, I could find your old body and fix it. That sound okay?”

“Yeah, let’s see what we can find.” She replied.

No. Way. She was right.

“ _Of course she was._ ”

“Alright, let’s scavenge for biocomponents.” I said. “Any parts in particular?”

“I’m not too sure, but how about anything in the brain area?” She suggested.

“The brain area? What the hell did you go through?”

“That’s not important, just find anything that wouldbe in the brain area.”

“Okay, okay, I’m on it, Kara.” No doubt, it does feel weird to be talking to someone, let alone talking instructions. It’s familiar, yet so bizarre at the same time. Maybe I just haven’t done it in a long time.

The store was completely devoid of androids. Seriously, it feels like I just walked into a ghost town. Nobody’s home. It’s a bit spooky knowing both humans and androids used to walk in and out of stores like these all the time. For a small period of time after the Revolution, Detroit was in fact, a ghost town. Eventually, humans started coming back. I don’t know about the androids though. They look just like humans, and it’s almost impossible to tell who’s the machine and who’s the human. Even the most common of models have found ways to change their appearance, some of them going as far as changing their physical features, like their faces, for example. I mean, I don’t know if they’re actually doing that, but that’s what I’d be doing, if I knew how to do that in the first place.

Lucky for us, they never took out the biocomponents. Probably because they’re not androids. Let’s see, what we need are some parts for the back of the head, right?

“ _Correct._ ” Replied that voice again.

“Let’s see, where would the biocomponent section be?” I asked Kara.

“There’s gotta be something in the back,” She replied. “There’s bound to be something there.” I did as she said. I walked over to the back door, at the very end of the store, carefully surveying my surroundings to make sure we weren’t being followed. I tried opening the door, but unsurprisingly, it was locked.

“Kara?” I gestured my watch in front of the door. “Would you care to do the honours?”

“Sure,” She sounded like she a bit out of breath. “Let’s do this.”

I steadied the watch over the control panel as Kara wirelessly, and effortlessly, might I add, hacks the panel and a green light shone on the screen. We were instantly greeted by several biocomponents, lined up on a rack, many of which were different from one another.

“What model are you?” I needed to know so I could narrow the search. “Or atleast, what model were you before... you woke up in my watch?” Kara took a few seconds to recall her model, which was kind of surprising.Maybe she’s thinking. But about what though?

“AX400,” She finally answered. “Does that help?”

“See for yourself, just scan the place for the biocomponents that are compatible with AX400s.” I pointed the watch’s screen toward the different biocomponents. Kara swiftly scanned through all of the biocomponents.

“There. Top right rack.” 

“I see them.” I reached up and pulled out each biocomponent and placed them on the ground next to me. There’s close to a dozen parts, but I have no idea where they’re supposed to be on an android.

“Here, scan these, Kara.”

“Alright.” For what’s hopefully the last time, she scanned through the biocomponents. “Those last three are all biocomponents for the head.” I picked the last three biocomponents and stored them safely into my bag. For safe measure, I took a few packets of Thirium. Who knows, they might come in handy.

“Alright, we got everything, let’s get outta here.” We may have gotten the parts, but we still need the body. And we have to hurry. The body might not be around for much longer.

———————————————

**February 5th, 2039 4:34 PM**

“Alright Kara, we need to get back into the Junkyard, that’s where I found you.” I told her. “You have to tell me where and how to put the biocomponents in, and then I’ll put the memory chip in, okay?”

“Yeah, that sounds good.” She replied. “How are you getting in?”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that part.” The main front gate of the Junkyard isn’t exactly a hard obstacle, it’s the officer’s booth I’m more worried about. But surely, they’re not seriously expecting a trespasser in broad daylight are they?

“ _You can’t be so sure about that._ ” The strange voice returned. “ _Just be careful._ ” Quietly, I climbed over the gate, making sure I was as silent as the dead. I crouched and crawled my way to the booth. Normally, I would be doing this at night, but it’s garbage dump day, and that means more androids scavenging from each other. If they find Kara’s body, chances are they’re gonna rip it to shreds.

“Do you think that my body will be alright?” Kara asked.

“What do you mean?” I wasn’t sure by what she meant.

“ I mean, do you think there could be more damaged biocomponents?”

“Atleast we’ll have a Junkyard of resources to use.”

"Let's just

The officer’s booth was, I’ll admit, a bit small, but atleast it makes sense. Only two officers actually survey the place while the trucks regularly come in to dump trash. Though, the amount of androids in those trucks has been noticeably decreasing over the past week or so. That means all of the dead androids from the camps are here now. Yikes. I sneakily made my way past the officer’s, letting Kara disable the alarms this time. And just like that, I was standing in the same spot as twelve hours ago, scanning the Junkyard like a security camera on a midnight heist. There was enough space underneath the main window for me to crawl past the officers. I can’t quite make it out, but I think one of them just said a joke. Another officer burst out laughing.

“Ha ha! I can’t believe it! So the chicken really made it to the other side?” An officer spoke loudly.

“Yeah, no kidding.” The other one replied.

“Hey did you hear about the time that android chased a person all the way onto a highway?”

“Oh yeah I did! And get this, he was chasing another android later that day!”

Both of them started laughing this time. Anxiously, I managed to slide past them and into the Junkyard. A thin layer of snow blanketed the whole area.

“Do you know where my body is?” I showed Kara a full view of the Junkyard, hoping to see if she could recognise any of it, but with no success.

“ _I got nothing bro._ ” It whispered.

“Wait I have an idea,” I said to the voice. I looked for a spot where I’d be hidden for atleast a couple of minutes. I quickly sat down and I tried my best to focus. I tried my best to return to that place again. The library where I knew everything.

“ _What are you doing?_ ” The voice inquired.

“Coming to you.” I continued my train of focus. It wasn’t until I experienced a bright flash, that I knew that I had made it.

“ _Okay, now what?_ ”

“Where’s the book that tells me where Kara’s model is?” Did I really just ask that? For goodness sake, Isaac, you were right here last night.

“ _I don’t know, I’ll help you look._ ” We busily searched the Library, going through each shelf. The shadow stopped moving. “I _found it!. Over here!_ ” I quickly ran over to it.

“It’s in that mound, the one underneath that statue.” I announced. Hastily, I snapped out of my trance and woke up to the real world. Nobody’s found us.

“Where did you go Isaac?” Kara demanded, her voice was a loud whisper.

“I know where your body is, let’s go.” I had no time to explain, the officer’s would only have to look this way to figure out there’s an intruder. I speedily made way towards the mound, being sure to avoid any androids along the ground. It’s still underneath dozens of other androids. I had another look up. The mound was definitely huge.

“ _What do you think the chances are that the whole thing will fall on you?_ " The voice comically retorted.

“Well, it be something close to zero,” I retorted back. “Or the next few minutes are gonna be nightmare fuel.” The voice isn’t exactly wrong though. The mound doesn’t look as tough as I thought it was. It really could fall on us.

I carefully reached down to Kara’s arm, following it to the rest of her body. I tugged on it as softly as I could. I had a huge sigh of relief. It wasn’t stuck. Little by little, I extracted Kara’s out of the mound, in one piece. There wasn’t any synthetic skin, just a pale, plastic shell in human clothes, which for the most part, looked fine. They’re not nearly as damaged I originally thought, save for a few tears along her right sleeve. There was a round bullet hole straight through the middle of her head. How on Earth am I supposed to fix that?

“Kara, can you see this?” I pointed the watch at the body. Her body. There was audible silence for atleast a few seconds. I cleaned the previous parts before pulling out the three biocomponents from my bag and arranged along the ground. “Are you alright Kara?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She answered. She voice was a bit shaky. I mean, if I saw my own dead body in front of me, I would definitely be just as shocked as Kara. “Okay, what you need to do is open up the back of the head.” I followed her instructions, and sure enough, I got the back compartment open. And holy moly, what went down in there? More specifically, what went through there?

“ _That’s easy, a bullet._ ”The shadow answered.

“But where did the bullet come from?” I asked. “It could be from a lot of different places.” And to be honest, it’s kind of exciting, really. Literally seeing into somebody’s head. I continued pointing the watch into the compartment.

“First you gotta clean out all the shrapnel.” Kara instructed me through the watch. I slowly lowered my hand into the back of her head and carefully plucked out random bits of plastic that were out of place. When my hand emerged from inside Kara's head, almost half of my hand was covered in Thirium.

“Alright, that’s done.” I released a huge breath, only to take in an even bigger one.

“Okay, do you see that first biocomponent on the left?” I picked up the left most biocomponent. It had a peculiar shape. I wonder why they made it like a pentagon?

“I’m going to need you to slot it in okay? Just look inside for a pentagon shape and just connect it there. The orientation shouldn’t matter with this one. Be careful, these biocomponents make up an android’s AI Processing Unit.” I did as she said, slotting the first biocomponent into the pentagon-shaped slit. It clinked, like it was almost magnetic.“Alright, now we need the third biocomponent, on your far right.” I picked it up. This one was just straight up freezing. Though it’s shape was pretty odd too. Wait a minute. I had a quick look at the previous biocomponent.

“Hey I can see where this fits!” I quietly shouted, being careful not to alert either officer. I quietly pushed the second biocomponent into the back compartment. With another satisfying clink, the biocomponent attaches itself into place. I pump a fist into the air. Just one more to go.

“ _Come on you got this Isaac._ ”

“Okay, this last one is going to be a bit tough, so be careful.” She advised.

“Got it.” I held up the watch to the compartment again. “Where does this one go?” It took a few seconds for Kara to find the spot.

“There. Just above the other two.”

“I see it.” Like a game of Operation, I slipped the final biocomponent into the slot without even touching the others. We did it. We actually did it. Now that all of the biocomponents are in. Now I have to find a way to get rid of the bullet holes. Hang on a minute. I stuck up my head like a periscope on a submarine and turned to search the Junkyard. Now, the AX400 is a common model of android, so there's bound to be another one here.

”Hey Kara, can you scan and see if there’s another AX400 here?” I directed the screen of the watch towards the Junkyard and panned around like a camera so Kara could see. “Especially one where the head compartment isn’t damaged?” There was a noticeable silence, but I could tell she was busy looking for another model.

”I see one! Down there, to your left.” She exclaimed. I cautiously walked over to where Kara was pointing, making sure the guards don’t see us. I kneeled down to the lifeless AX400 head, silently laying on the ground, gaining nothing but water and mud. I grabbed the head piece and wiped off the mud, shaking it off my hand once I was done. I was met with a pair of blue eyes, staring straight into my soul, and nothing else. I drew my fingers across the crease above the forehead plate, before feeling a small indent. I pulled the plastic plate off as slowly and as carefully as I could, and placed it into my pocket. I turned the head around and did the same with the rear plate.

“There we go,” I sighed in relief. “Now we just need to replace the damaged plastic plates on Kara. It looks like the neck piece of the AX400 head is heavily damaged, so I guess that wasn’t going to work.

”Good thinking, Isaac.” The voice applauded, though not literally. I snuck over to Kara’s body and carefully replaced the bulletholes in her head with a whole forehead and rear head plate. I sat down in anticipation, waiting for Kara come alive.

” _Odd choice of words._ ” The voice commented.

Nothing. No movement. No reaction. Just, nothing. Oh no. Did we miss something? The realisation it hit me like a truck at full speed.

“Thirium!” Both the voice and I screamed at the same time. I lunged over to my bag, which still has the Thirium from the CyberLife store. Thirium is an unusual, blue substance. It sounds deceptively simple. Thirium functions like a power source for androids. It flows all around their body, transferring electrical and digital information at incredible speeds, which is what gives androids the ability to comprehend so much in so little time. It often has a much more common name; Blue Blood, which is because of how many things Thirium and human blood have in common. I might even call it that from now on. I opened up Kara’s Thirium Pump Regulator and started pouring each pack of Blue Blood. Once I emptied all of the packets, I twisted the pump regulator back into place.

Within seconds, Kara jumped, bursting with life. Her pale white, plastic exterior replaced with a light symthetic skin, that looks hauntingly real. The bullet in her forehead was gone. It’s like it never existed. Her silver white hair was glistening in the sunlight, though it was unusually short. Her hairstyle almost looked like mine, hair for hair. The epic march of her skin began at the end of her limbs and concluded at her right temple, where her LED should be. Of course, it’s not there, she’s a deviant. And having a visible LED in public would kill her.

I had never seen someone so alive in such a long time. She was like a baby learning to move for the first time. Her eyes were darting everywhere, before focusing on her arms. She was learning how to move them again. Eventually she began to move her legs, feeling every toe she had.

“Thank you.” She finally said, smiling. I smiled back. I think I just gave someone a second chance. Her voice was just the same as it was in the watch. Gentle and calm. Now the questions remains: Will she give me the same chance?

“ _Aren’t you forgetting something?_ ” It whispered again. What did it want this time?

“Like what?” I replied, curious to see what it means.

“ _Luther and Alice?_ ” He’s trying to remind of something, I know it. I closed my eyes and focused back to that library. In another flash of light I was there again. This time, I remembered the books, Luther and Alice’s book is this way, the shelf on the right. I opened it and it read _they’re androids, dumbass_.

“Wait they’re both androids, right?” I confirmed with the shadow.

“ _Correct._ ” It confirmed.

“And if Kara died, that means they could’ve died too.”

“ _And?_ ”

“The trucks have finished dumping androids...”

“ _Conclusion?_ ” Holy shit. Why didn’t I think of that before?

“They’re both here, aren’t they?” I realised. I snapped back into reality, with a look of despair on my face. What if they’re still here?

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Kara asked, still unaware of the possibility.

“If Luther and Alice really died, wouldn’t that mean they’re here? In the Junkyard with us? Right now?”

Kara’s eyes widened at the thought of both of them still being here. Just what is her connection to them? She got up as quickly as she could, and stumbled a little on the way. Head turned rapidly in several directions. She’s clearly worried about them, somehow.

“Hey maybe I could help? Uhh what model is Luther?”

“A TR400 model.” Kara answered, the desperation of her voice in full effect. Wait a second, Luther is a TR400 model? There’s no way that he could be same android, could he?

“Huh, so he’s one of those...” I recalled what I could about TR400s. But it wasn’t going to be that useful.” We spent the next half an hour so, quietly looking through each and every single mound to find them, only to notfind them at all.I tried talking to the odd voice again.

“So if they’re not here, that means they’re still alive right?”

“ _And?_ ” The voice was stern.

“If there’s no androids being taken out of the dump...”

“ _Conclusion?_ ”

“They made it across the border.” The voice didn’t respond. I turned to Kara as quickly as I could, eager to share my theory.

“Hey Kara! If Luther and Alice aren’t here, that means they made it across the border right?” A smile grew on her face. Honestly, who wouldn’t be relieved? I took a quick look at the booth. Shit. They’re gone. Are they in here with us?

“Let’s get out of here before they find-“ I ducked behind a mound and motioned for Kara to do the same. The officers weren’t in the booth anymore. Maybe they were out on a break, but I’m not taking the chance. They could down here with us. For all we know, we might have been spotted. I silently told Kara we might not be the only ones in here.

“Just stay close to me, we’re gonna get through this unharmed, okay?” She grabbed my shoulders. It’s almost as if she’s... reassuring me. Me of all people. I...

“It’s been a long time since someone cared for you, Isaac.”

“What about you?” I asked. No, I have a friend, don’t I? You’re my friend right?

“ _I don’t count, Isaac._ ”The voice responded. “ _Especially not as a friend._ ”

“Then who are you?” I asked. Nothing. Nothing but silence. Kara peeked out from behind the mound. Only her face would have been visible. It looks the officers are back in the booth again.

“We have nothing to worry about,” She returned. “They must have come back from lunch.”

“Oh that’s a relief,” I let out a big breath of air that I had been unknowingly holding in. “Let’s get out of this dump.” Just like how we came in, we quietly snuck past both officers. It’s kind of surprising that Kara knew how to sneak past them. She was on my watch less than an hour ago. If she’s so proficient, that means she never would’ve gotten caught during the Android Revolution. So how did she end up in the Junkyard?


	4. Home Sweet Home

**February 5th, 2039 7:01 PM**

We made it back to the hideout again. It’s late into the afternoon now. I thought about going to Anderson’s place but, nah. Maybe not today. It still kind of irks me how people have returned to Detroit, but it still feels as though no one else is here. We didn’t talk much on the way back. She was probably trying to contemplate her relief, and I was contemplating my next move. I grabbed the keys out of my pocket and clumsily pushed into the door. A couple of seconds later, we were inside the hideout and once again, I locked the door with a satisfying click.

“Just... make yourself at home,” my voice dropped off. “Or something like that.” Her white hair was shining almost like a lime green now. I didn’t really notice it before, but her outfit wasn’t in a as good of a condition as I thought. “Clothes are over there,” I pointed towards a miniature mountain of shirts, pants, jackets, the whole lot. “And the bathroom’s over there. I’ll be here if you need anything.” She nodded, before grabbing a set of clothes.

“I’m not going to find a dead body in here, am I?” She asked. I could’ve sworn there was hint of sarcasm in there. Wow. Deviants and sarcasm.

“What? No, there’s no body in there.” I replied, a little shocked by the question. She quickly walked into the bathroom and closed the door shut. I think she’s thinking the same thing. She’s also probably wondering how she’s gonna say goodbye. But, at the end of the day, I’m not Kara, and if she decides to go, then I won’t try and stop her.

Oh what am I even thinking? Ever since that day, I haven’t been able to fill the void that’s been turning my stomach inside out. No matter how much I steal, or build, it was never going to fill it. For so long, I’ve felt more like a machine than a human. But today, for the first time, I... I felt complete. I felt like I was on top of the world, like I could do anything, and everything. Even if it was for a single moment, that void was full. I sat down on my bed, legs fully stretched before crossing them.

“Hey, voice, do you know what this feeling is?” I asked it. “It’s like there’s butterflies in my stomach.”

“ _I’m not that sure myself,_ ” The shadow materialised next to me. “ _If I had to guess, it would be... Happiness._ ”

“Well how do I get more of it?” I asked, eager to feel happy like I was earlier in the day. There was a loud creak in the room. The shadow instantly disappeared. Kara appeared from the bathroom, sporting my least favourite shirt and a large blue raincoat, complete with a giant hoodie that could eclipse her entire head if she tried. The shirt itself was a dark yellow colour.

“How on Earth do I spot deviants like you, when you literally look just like the humans?” I really was kind of amazed how easily deviants could just blend into a crowd. She just shrugged.

“I don’t have a choice,” She added. “I have to look normal, otherwise It’d be the end of me.”

“Right.” I replied.

“Do you mind if I stay here? It’s just until tomorrow, I’ll be gone by then.” She sat down on the couch.

“Yeah, yeah, you can stay here.” At that point, I was literally screaming inside for her to stay. I have so many questions I want to ask. I have an idea, but I’m not sure about it. I just need enough time to figure out what I want to do with it. Until tomorrow. That’s all the time I need to make the decision.

“So this is your house?” Kara finally broke the tension.

“Uhh yeah,” my voice stumbled a little. “Well it’s not really _my_ house, I just found it with all this cool stuff so I decided to stay here.” I sat down on the couch with her. I reached for the television remote I cleverly hid under the couch and turned on the electric video box. “So you still haven’t told me about Luther and Alice. Who are they?”

“Luther and Alice are my family. Alice is my beautiful little girl and Luther’s the father Alice always dreamed of. The father she always wanted.”

“Wait so like... how?”

“The same way people have adopted kids.”

“Ah right,” I was carefully thinking of my next words. “When I first met you, you said something about Luther and Alice?” I pressed. “Something about them being androids?” I flipped the channel, something gory showed up on the screen. “Is that true?”

“Yeah, so what?”

“But like, it just-“ I was quickly losing my words. I took a moment to compose myself. “Sorry. Wouldn’t that mean she won’t be able to grow?”

Kara’s expression changed a little. I guess I had a point. A point I think I didn’t want to have.

“That... doesn’t matter to me,” Her voice was a bit serious now. “Maybe she’ll get sick of stuck being a kid. Maybe she’ll get tired being treated like a kid. But all I want to do is make her feel human, to make her feel like her life’s worth living. She’s gone through a lot, Isaac, I just wanna be there for her.”

“I can dig that.” I complimented.

“Really?”

“Yeah, people would kill to have someone like you by their side. She’s lucky to have two great parents.” I switched the channel again. “There’s only one other person I know who had great parents.”

“Who?”

“Me.” I jumped up. “I had the greatest parents in the world! They were so nice, and kind, and they always wanted to help people.” I did a quick twirl before slouching back down. “I think I’ve got your backstory nailed though.” I had a little smug expression on my face.

“Alright, shoot.” She rested her hands on the back of the couch.

“When I first found you, you were already clothed, so that means you were never sent to one of those Recycling Centres in the Revolution. And the way you were talking, it’s like you went through all of this before, and there’s the time we snuck past those guards. You managed to sneak by them so well for someone who woke up in a watch.” I collected all the clues to together to piece the story together.

“So what’re you saying?” She said. She had that cheeky expression on her face. She was certain I wouldn’t be able to piece it to together.

“Based on how well you can stay hidden, I’d say you could’ve kept it up for the entire Android Revolution. But you didn’t. You were in the Junkyard. And the rest of your family weren’t. There’s only one way all of this fits together.” I took a breath, ready to bring it down. “Sacrifice.” I concluded. The cheeky expression was completely wiped from her face. “You gave yourself up, so they could cross the border.”

“...Yes.” She said quietly. It’s clear she was shaken up about it.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that without realising-“

“It’s fine. I’m alive now, and that’s what matters.” She interrupted. “What about you?” I switched to another channel before looking back to her. “What’s your backstory?” Oh god no.

“Mine? I really don’t really have much of a backstory...” I tried to avert the topic as much as I could.

“Come on now, everybody has a backstory, I want to hear yours.” She requested.

“Alright, alright,” I finally gave in. “I’ll tell you how it went down.”


	5. The Sacrifice Play

**May 20th, 2039 5:49 PM**

“Aww are you okay, dear?” Mom sat next to me. I was lying down. I had come down with a fever so Dad said I could stay home for the day. “How’s that fever coming along?” She placed her hand on my forehead. Her hand was freezing cold. “Oh, it seems the fever’s going strong, huh? I’ll bet you it’ll be gone by tomorrow.”

“But gambling is bad, Mom,” I remarked. “It’s not good for you.” Mom giggled.

“Okay, I won’t gamble Isaac, I promise.” 

Regina Kirtley, otherwise known as my Mom, was a photographer. She absolutely loved talking pictures of Detroit’s growing skyline, even occasionally dabbling in a bit of architecture herself. At home however, she was the most heartwarming Mom I could have ever wished for. She cooked the best food, always loved a good joke and kissed me goodnight each night.

The house itself was pretty neat. It’s no mansion, but it’s more than enough to hold me, Mom and Dad. The only bad thing about it was that it was pretty far from where Dad works, so he always comes home very late into the evening. Most of the time, I’d already be fast asleep by the time Dad makes it home. But this time was a different story. He was coming home much earlier today. Maybe he took the day off to spend time with us. Maybe he was already finished. I could only guess at this point. For the last month or so, he kept his work a secret from the rest of the family. Honestly, I really don’t know why. He used to share his experiences at CyberLife so much, describing everything in detail, Now, I’d be lucky to even find out what he’s been up to.

**KNOCK KNOCK. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. HELLO ISAAC?**

“That’s Dad!” I squealed. “I’ll get the door.” I swiftly sprinted over to the front door. Out of excitement, I fumbled on the doorknob, but eventually opened the door. Standing outside was Arthur Kirtley, my father.

“Hey son!” He picked me up and twirled around. “How’s that fever going? You okay?”

“Yeah, Mom says it’ll be gone by tomorrow.” Within seconds, Dad’s smile dropped just ever so slightly. Something was probably up. “Is everything alright Dad?” I asked, a little bit worried.

“Yeah, I’m okay, I just need to talk to Mom.”

“Oh, uh okay.” I let him through, like I was some kind of giant troll guarding the house. I settled back down into the couch and turned on the television. There was something on the news about CyberLife becoming the biggest company in the world and some other adult mumbo jumbo I couldn’t understand.

“They’re coming, Regina.” I heard something from the kitchen. They’re probably discussing something. I tried to ignore it as best as I could. But eventually my curiosity was swayed. “I’m sorry I made a mistake, okay? They’re saying I made a mistake and now they’re coming here.” Who was “they”? Was it about work? Eventually I crepted into the kitchen.

“Hey is everything alright?” Now I was really worried. Dad looks petrified. I’ve never seen him like that before. He was the calm one between him and Mom. But today, he looks as though he had come back from a war.

“Isaac, I need you to do a favour, can you do it please?” He asked.

“You’re scaring me Dad-“

“Can you do it?” He asked again, his voice becoming more and more desperate.

“Y-Yes,” I stammered. “What do you want me to do?”

“Run,” he replied. “Run as fast as you can. Run as far away from this place as you can. And don’t. Look. Back.” What is Dad saying?

“Why do you want me to run?” I questioned.

“Just promise me you’ll run. Please. Do it. For us.” I’m terrified. At this point, I'd need an entire thesaurus to describe how scared I was.

“But what’s gonna happen to you? A-And Mom?”

“We’ll be alright, it’s you we’re worried about.” Dad rushed me to the back door.

“Trust me, son, and just get outta here. Don’t come back.” Being the naive kid I was, I ran. I used the ladder to climb over the fence. I sprinted as fast my legs could take me.It wasn’t even a hundred metres when I saw it.

A van. I had a quick glimpse inside. Guns. And soldiers. And they're straight for my house. My eyes widened at the thought. Headed straight for Mom and Dad. It all became clear now. They... they are going to kill them. But why? What did they do? As far as I’m concerned, they’re angels, and angels don’t deserve to be shot down. I found a clear vantage point where I could see the house. Soldiers in black and white armour stepped out of the van. Each one of them was armed to the teeth with silenced guns. I couldn’t even see their face. All of them had visors covering their eyes. One by one, each soldier marched into the house. What on Earth did they do to deserve this? I have to go back. I can’t just leave them. I tried to nudge myself to move, but a part of me forced me to stay completely still. Dad wouldn’t want me to go back. And then it hit me. Sacrifice. Mom and Dad... were giving themselves up. They were making the sacrifice play.If I went after them, it would ruin the entire plan. They were doing this for me. So I stayed still, and spied on the house.

Smoke. There was smoke. And it wasn’t coming out of a chimney. We didn’t have one. My jaw dropped. They set the house on fire. Flames engulfed what was left of the living room. Soon it enough, it erupted through the windows. Those... those jerks. How could they do that? 

No... Mom... Dad!” I cried. But they were never going to hear me. I couldn’t hold in the tears. Maybe now’s my chance, I could go and save them. Like a superhero! But what if they’re already dead? I’d die too, wouldn’t I? I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know where to go. I didn’t know who to ask. The soldiers finally emerged from the house, one by one, like robots executing a program. But they’re not robots. They’re humans.

In a world where people are afraid of robots killing mankind, my parents, the two greatest people in my life, were killed by humans. The same humans who were supposed to protect them. Why? That’s the one questions that’s been ringing in my head all these years. Who sent those soldiers? Was I next? These were all questions I had no hope of answering. They’ve been plaguing my mind, haunting me over the years.

No matter how much I had, or how successful I was, there was always a slight disconnect inside.


	6. War Criminal

**February 5th, 2039 7:24 PM**

“So... that’s my backstory, Kara.” I ended. “After that, I came across this place and just stayed here, hoping nobody would find me.” Kara stayed quiet. “How was it?” Her expression was gloomy. The room was dead silent for a couple of seconds. The television kept playing as if there’s no tension whatsoever.

“I’m sorry about what happened to your parents,” She consoled. “They sound like lovely people.”

“Yeah, they were.” I grumbled.

“Did you tell the cops?” She asked. “About that night?”

“No, that’s why I wanted to visit this ‘Anderson’ guy,” I replied. “Maybe he can help solve this whole thing.” And finally relieve my conscience.

“Well, why don’t we see him?” A smile grew on my face. “While there’s still light outside?” I nodded excitedly. I grabbed my bag again and headed straight for the door, with Kara casually walking behind me.

———————————————

**February 5th, 2039 8:30 PM**

A short walk through the cold breeze was all it took before we landed at the doorstep of the infamous ‘Anderson’ guy. I really am curious to see if he can help me.

“I got this.” Kara rings the doorbell. I could have sworn I had heard that same doorbell before, but I guess that’s what comes with cheap housing. Not that I’m calling this guy’s house “cheap”. His house is actually pretty solid, he’s even got his own car and everything.

“Hey, I’ll get that!” We heard a loud voice inside the house. Soon after, door swings open, and we’re greeted by someone in what I’m assuming, is his sixties. Like goodness, it’s not like Kara’s hair, where it looks like dyed hair, he actually looks pretty old to be an investigator.

“Uhh hi there,what can do for ya?” He asked.

“Are you Mr. Anderson?” Kara replied before I could say anything. I hand her the business card and she shows him the card.

“Ohh,” he takes a step back from the door. “Alright, well come inside, I wouldn’t want ya to get a cold.” Kara looks even more tense than this afternoon. Her focus wasn’t the investigator, but on another figure in the house. She was almost frozen in place.

“Hey! Connor! Come say hi, we got clients!” The figure greeted. He didn’t look anything like the investigator. He was young, well dressed, surprisingly good-looking. And no, I don’t have a thing for him, or anyone else, period. He came up and offered us both a handshake.

“Hi, my name is Connor, I’m-“ he stopped himself for just a split-second. “Nice to meet you.” He continued. He ushered us over to the living room. Man, his house looks even better on the inside. He’s got like three couches, a dining table, even one of those really smart but skinny TVs I’ve seen everywhere. It kind of reminds me of my old house, before that day. The investigator gestured us to sit on the couch. He and Connor sat on a couch opposite us. The two were about as opposite as you could get. Connor was perfectly still waiting for someone to start talking, and the investigator was restlessly trying to find a comfortable posture. Yet they somehow ended up under the same roof. I guess they’re roommates.

“So uhh, you two have names?” He quizzed.

“I’m Kara. This is Isaac.” Kara answers over me again. Just what is going on with her? Did I miss something here?

“You can call me Hank.” He introduced himself.

“Okay Kara, Isaac, what brings you two to my place?”

“Actually, Isaac’s the client here.” Finally, she let’s me speak.

“So I want you guys to investigate the murder of Regina and Arthur Kirtley.”

“Both of them were killed in a house fire, there’s nothing to investigate.” Connor spoke out. “Atleast according to DPD records.” Honestly, he’d be right if it weren’t for me. But wait, how did he recall an event like that so quickly? It’s not like that’s a well known tragedy, is it?

“Wait a minute, a house fire?” I said, almost infuriated. “They didn’t put that down as murder?”

“No.” Connor answered.

“I saw soldiers walk into that house, Hank. And they walked out of a burning house.” I claimed. “I saw them, they came in a van and everything, they all had guns and armour-“

“Armour?” Connor interrupted. “What colour was it?” This seemed like an odd question, but the detail always was stuck like glue in my head.

“It was black and white.” I answered, baffled by why that detail would be so important. He softly pulled Hank over to the kitchen.

“Why didn’t you let me say anything, Kara?” I whispered.

“The last time I was in a position like this, I got sent down to a basement and nearly had my memory wiped. I just wanted to make sure that wasn’t the case again.”

“Oh,” I whispered. “I get that. Yikes.”

“Listen, Isaac, I think I know these people from before.” She whispered. “You see Connor over there?” She pointed to him, making sure neither he nor Hank could see. “I think he was the android who tried to chase me last year.”

“For real?!” I whispered loudly. “He’s an android too??”

“Yeah.”

“Do you think we should tell them you’re an android too?”

“No, if they figure it out, good for them.”

Connor and Hank came back from kitchen and sat back down on the couch opposite us. Hank wasn’t nudging like before. He seemed serious.

“Alright, we’ll take the case,” he announced.

“Thank-“

“On one condition, Connor added.” Come on man, let me have this one. I'm tired.

“What’s your connection in all of this?” Dang it. I really didn’t want to have to tell anyone else, but here goes nothing.

“...They’re my parents.” I quickly closed my eyes. To my surprise, Hank actually didn’t say anything.

“He’s not lying Hank, he’s definitely their son.”

“Alright that settles it, have a good night you too.” Hank ushered us both to the front door, past his dog. And boy was it huge.

”Goodnight!” Kara and I said in quick succession.

The door shuts close.

“So uh, are you gonna tell me why Connor was chasing you?” I asked.

“I’m not sure really why he was chasing me,” She answered. “It probably has something to do with the night before. Whatever the reason was, it was good enough to chase us onto a highway.”

“You went onto a highway?!”

“Yeah, and he nearly got me killed.”

“Wow... So do you think he recognised you?”

“Probably not.” So I guess that means if this Connor guy is living with Hank, that means he’s a deviant too. I didn’t even think he was an android, simply because I’d literally never seen a model like him before. You learn something new every day.

———————————————

**February 5th, 2039 9:10 PM**

Once again, Kara and I were in the comfort of the hideout. As soon as I got inside, I kicked off my shoes, accidentally shooting them into the bin. It’s been a few hours since I had heard anything from that mysterious voice. Did it disappear or something? Where did it go? I honestly had no idea. I sat down on the couch and turned on the TV again. Great. It’s Warren.

“After a long conference with the Secretary of Defence and the Secretary of Security, we have decided to arrange a meeting with the deviant leader, known as Markus.” She announced. “In the coming few days, I will personally convene with him to discuss androids and their place in society. If this meeting goes through, then negotiations for android rights can truly begin. If not, then he, and anyone who assists them, active or otherwise, will be persecuted by the military, and either sent to prison, or executed on the spot.” There was audible shock in the crowd. “All I hope is that Markus can reciprocate our offer.” She said a few more political things before ending the press conference with a simple thank you.

I turned the TV off, there weren’t any good shows on. I hopped into my bed and tried my best to fall asleep. But for some reason, I just couldn’t fall asleep this time. I rustled and rolled for as long as a few minutes at a time, but that hasn’t worked either. It was kind of an odd feeling. Feeling tired and not feeling tired at the same time. Eventually, I gave up trying to sleep and scanned the room to see where Kara was. She was calmly sitting on the ledge of the window, staring out in to the night. The curtain was pulled well behind her. Since it was clear that I wasn’t getting any sleep any time soon, I decided to join Kara on the window. She made room for me and gestured for me to sit on the ledge. Amazingly, the window ledge can hold both of us.

“You ever heard of rA9?” She broke the silence.

“rA9?” I looked back at her. “I mean, I’ve seen it written on walls in alleyways and stuff but I don’t actually know what it means.”

“Luther used to say to me that rA9 was the first android to awaken, and that rA9 would free all of the android and lead them to freedom.”

“Huh, but then who was the first to ‘awaken’?” I gestured a pair of quotation marks with my hands.

“I don’t know,” Kara shrugged. “Nobody does. I don’t think he even exists. I always thought rA9 is like a story androids just tell themselves to keep going.”

“ _Interesting.... So there IS an origin for deviancy._ ” The voice emerged out of my mind.

“Welcome back.” I said back to the voice.

“If I had to guess, I’d say Markus is the closest thing to rA9.” Kara said. “He’s a basically a saviour for all of the deviants in Jericho.” Wow, he sounds like a powerful guy.

“Jericho?” I asked, puzzled.

“Jericho. It’s like a safe haven for androids.”

“Is that where you’re going tomorrow?”

“It would be, if I knew where it was.”

“Wait, you don’t know where it is?” That’s strange. Wouldn’t a deviant know where Jericho is?

“Yeah,” She said. “But, I’m not going to Jericho. I’m going to Canada, where Alice and Luther are. But with the way all this is unfolding, I don't think I have a choice.” For the next couple of minutes we just stared out the window. To my surprise, it was actually snowing again. A small of icy snow grew on the outside of the window. Every now and then, a snowflake would collide against the glass. It was almost scary how calm Kara looked. She was just staring out the window like nothing in world could ever bother her. Especially given the state of the country.

“You know, I can kind of see why humans are so mean towards androids.” I commented. “For so long, humans have been the dominant species on the planet. Now that they realise that they’re not the only ones anymore, they’re scared of what androids can do to them.”

“But I never meant to hurt anyone.” Kara countered.

“And I totally get that. I don’t know, I think it’s more of a matter of control and power. Once you pass a certain threshold, you just don’t feel like giving it all up. Humanity used to control everything on Earth. They got to decide which animals went extinct, they got to decide whether or not the planet would spiral into global warming. Some people got to decide if others deserved to live. Now imagine letting an android make all of these decisions. How much does it take for an android to go ‘Okay that’s it, you need to stop living now’? I don’t know, now I’m just spouting some weird mumbo jumbo.”

“It makes a lot of sense for some weird mumbo jumbo.” I giggled a bit inside. It sure does feel pretty satisfying to share your thoughts with a friend. Eventually the insomnia wasn’t going to last forever. My eyelids slowly drooped down my eyes.

“Well, I’m gonna sleep now. See you tomorrow Kara.” I meandered over to my bed and dropped on it, and fell asleep almost immediately, the moonlight from outside, fading into darkness.


	7. Where’s My Mind?

**February 6th, 2039 8:24 AM**

My eyes awoke to the sunlight dancing in the... Wait a minute, sunlight? Why would there be sunlight in my room? That’s new. As the rest of my body woke up, I realised that I had been covered in some kind of cloth the whole night, like a blanket. Wait, a blanket? Where did that- Ohh. The window curtain. I looked back at the window, and sure enough, no curtain.

And then it dawned on me, harder than the sun. There was no Kara either. She’s gone.

“Kara?” I shouted. “Are you still here?” Nothing. Nothing but silence. I frantically got out of the bed and immediately searched the entire house. The bathroom, under the bed, the workplace, every fucking hiding spot I could think of. But still no Kara. She has to be here, she just has to be, she wouldn’t just leave like that, right? I stopped my chaotic shenanigans for a second, and took a clean look around the room. There. Right on top of the TV was a piece of paper. A piece of paper that I don’t remember putting there. I hastily walked over to the TV and picked up the paper. It was a letter. From Kara.

_Dear Isaac,_

_Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. Thanks to you, my little girl can live the life that’s she’s been dreaming of. A life where there’s no danger, a life where we don’t have to run to survive. It’s a life where we can settle down in the peace of our own home. Thank you so much for giving me a second chance._

_Signed,_

_Kara_

Tears streamed down my eyes. I get it now. The curtain. That was her. Even though she knew she wasn’t going to be around the next day, she still did that, for me. Maybe I’m overthinking things, she’s probably just really nice, that’s all.

“ _That’s all?_ ” The shadow remarked, as it manifested itself in front of me. “ _When was the last time somebody did something nice for you, huh? Never. Ever since your parents died, not a single fucking person ever walked, let alone looked in your general direction, or asked you your name or your favourite colour, or anything else like that. You even had a first-class seat, watching people become utter douchebags over the years. And you’re just gonna shrug off Kara’s actions as being NICE?!_ ”

“I-I mean I didn’t m-mean it like that, did I?” I stammered, probably messing up every second word in that sentence.

“Then what did you mean?” The shadow demanded. “Are you talking about me? I told you I'm not your friend. I’m just a voice inside your head, and a hallucination standing next to you, nothing more.” I didn’t want to admit it, but the talking shadow is right. I’ve been alone for so long, even I couldn’t see that until now. I've always wanted a friend.It doesn’t matter how cool my hideout is, or how much I know about things, people get lonely, and being lonely hurts after a while. For the first time since that day, I actually found one. But what if this is all goes wrong? What if I go after her and there’s nothing but death, or even worse, sadness? What then?

“ _Well, is there a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow?_ ” The shadow asked. It took me a few seconds for me to realise what it meant.

“Yes.” I gave my answer instinctively.

“ _Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go! Quick!_ ” I scrambled all across the house, keeping my bag in tow. First stop was the workshop, where I grabbed a bunch of leftover Thirium. I ran over to my bookshelf and picked out a book I hadn’t read in a long time. It was old comic about some ridiculous superhero in red tights, I doubt anyone would get what I'm talking about. The crowbar from yesterday was already inside my bag, so I’m set as far as weapons go. Food isn’t going to be that big of a problem, so that’s space saved. What else? Oh right, clothes! I dashed over to my pile of clothes and quickly craned out a spare shirt and jeans and stuffed them into my bag. I was running out of time. I grabbed the jacket hanging on my bed post and raced out of the door.

I swung my head around rapidly, looking around for any signs of a certain white-haired android. Of course, nobody else knows she’s an android, so she would’ve just casually walked through the street. And she’s nowhere to be seen. Of course, that’s not a problem. I just have to backtrack and figure out a direction first. Let’s see, the moment she leaves the house, there’s two directions, left and right. So which way did she go? Wait a minute. She’s headed for the border. I quickly pulled out my watch and typed in the directions to the Detroit-Canada border. Best part about androids is that they look to the same source of information as humans; The internet. The GPS on my watch is telling me to go left. I sprinted in that direction as quickly as I could, hoping to see Kara on the next turn. Nothing. I looked back down at the GPS. It’s telling to take the left turn right next to me. Up ahead, I’ll have to swing a right. After that, it’s mostly a straight journey. She has to be nearby. There’s no way she could’ve taken public transport or something like that, all public transport got shut down since the revolution and there’s barely anyone out. She’s got to be up ahead. I follow the directions on the stumbling past every corner, rushing to get to Kara.

Once I finally reached the long road, just barely in the distance, I spotted Kara, atleast I think so. I ran up to the figure as quickly as I could. At this point, I was panting, my mouth open like a ghost costume on Halloween. Sweat was plummeting down both sides of my head. It may be winter but it’s a surprisingly warm winter. As I gradually approached the figure closer, I could start making out the finer dertails, the white hair, the jacket. It was Kara. No doubt.

“Kara!” I screamed. “Kara wait up!” She stopped and turned around, a look of surprise on her face. I managed to catch up to her and now just metres from here. I stopped, catching heavy breaths while wiping the sweat off my face. What a run that was.

“Are you alright?” She asked.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine.” I answered, completely out of breath. “Listen, I... I wanna come along with you.”

“Wait what?” She seemed a bit confused. Ohh, that’s right, I never told her beforehand.

“I don’t know, maybe I could hang with you on the way to the border? Please? I’m just, I’m just tired of feeling so alone. Sometimes it feels like I’m the only nice person in the world, and when another nice person comes along... I don’t know how to put it.” I gave up, hanging my head. “I have my own food, clothes, even a weapon.” I reached behind to pat my bag. “Please?” I was pushing it now, puppy dog face and everything.

“Oh alright,” Kara said as she shook her head. “It’ll be dangerous though, I don’t know how long we’ll have this kind of freedom for. I don’t trust it. And I don’t wanna be around when something big happens.”

“So any monkey business, and they’ll drop you.” I asserted. “Got it.”

We began walking along the long street. My legs were still recovering from the rigorous running I put them through. As I was thinking over what I had just said, an idea entered my head. “Think they’d shoot me too?” I was genuinely curious at this point. Would a soldier really shoot me? How far would I have to go to make sure that answer is ‘yes’? More questions I didn’t know how to answer. I just hope that I never have to actually practise those questions. Because when that time comes, the answer will be ‘yes’. These aren’t the same humans from twenty years ago. They’re not forgiving. They’re careless, selfish, you could shoot into a crowd and no one would stick around to help the anybody who got shot. But if I put myself between an android and a gun, what would happen? Would I be called crazy for thinking about it? Yes. Do I care about what they think? No. Maybe they’d let us go? I don’t know really.

“ _I doubt it._ ” The shadow added to my train of thought.

“So do I.” I answered back.

“That’s why I don’t trust this whole thing,” Kara replied. “This whole ‘androids getting rights’ thing is going to end badly. I know it.”

“Yeah that’s true, one EMP later and you got a whole new graveyard of androids to take care of.”

“An EMP?”

“An EMP. Electro-magnetic pulse?”

“I haven’t heard of an EMP, should I be scared?”

“Very. An EMP is like a bomb could shut down every electronic device from here to Capitol Park. As an android, you don’t wanna mess with those.”

“If they’re so dangerous, why haven’t they used it yet?”

“Beats me. Apparently the president’s a real crack job but that’s not explaining much.” Now that I think about it, Kara’s right. Why HAVEN’T they used an EMP yet? “Maybe the government’s trying the same thing and they’re gonna try and talk it out?” I added. I mean, it sounded better in my head but that’s all I can come up with. An EMP wouldn’t really affect a human, after all. Atleast they haven’t done it yet. It’d pretty much end everything. Wait, what am I even saying? When did I develop feelings for machines?

“ _You’ve developed an affection for deviants._ ”

“I don’t know for sure.” I dazed off. “They don’t seem that bad.”

“ _Just be careful around anyone else that isn’t Kara._ ”

“Okay, okay, I’ll watch myself. Better?”

"Better."

———————————————

**February 6th, 2039 11:51 AM**

I was met with a sudden shock on my right hand. It was my watch. And... I had a call? Wait what? I answered the call, curious to see who it was.

“Isaac?” The familiar voice called out. It sounded strangely raspy. Wait a second. That’s Connor’s voice. How did he find a way to call me? I don’t remember putting his number into my watch.

“Yes, it’s me, Connor.” I replied. Kara was already glaring eagerly into the watch. “How did you-“

“I hacked your watch when you visited.” He interrupted. It sounds like he’s in a rush. He did what?!

“How ironic,”Kara sniggered quietly. “The hacker gets hacked by the one thing he can’t hack.”

"Ha ha very funny." I tried to tank the irony. Tried.

“Ok I need to tell you something.” He said through the watch.

“Save it, I know you’re an android.”

“Wait, you do?”

“Yeah, Kara remembered you.” There was a small pause.

“... Oh.” I think he remembered too.

“I need a bit of clarification,” Connor requested. “Is your father a CyberLife Assembly Operator?”

“Yeah,” I replied. “Why?”

“Well, I did a simple reference check based on your description of the soldiers. You said they were in black and white armour right?”

“I think so.”

“Did they look like this?” The screen lit up with a picture of the soldiers. Oh my goodness. He found them, gun for gun. My jaw almost dropped at that point. Has he solved the case already?

“Why is the colour of their armour so important, Connor?” Now I was a bit tense. I took a seat at a nearby restaurant table. The table that Kara and I took a seat was one of the corner tables, as far from the front counter as possible.

“Soldiers are classified based on who they work for.” Connor responded.

“Who do they work for? They’re not military, are they?”

“No, they’re not. The military uniform is all black.”

“So who do these soldiers work for?” Connor paused again, but just for a second this time.

“CyberLife,” Connor spoke. “They work for CyberLife.” My eyes expanded almost immediately at that thought. Is he actually serious?

“Wait, but that doesn’t make any sense, why would the company he works for want to kill him?” As I looked around, I found Kara staring into the table in front of me.

“ _CyberLife?_ ” Now even the voice was confused. “ _The fuck does CyberLife want with your dad?_ ”

“How am I supposed to know?” I shrugged to the voice. “I didn’t know what Dad was doing a full month before it happened.”

“Hank and I don’t know either, we’re headed to a possible lead now. I’ll fill you in on any new leads.”

“Thanks.” The call cut by itself. I’m still surprised that Connor can just hack my watch. Just like that.

“You have any idea what that was about?” I turned back to Kara. She was still gazing off into the distance. She’s probably worried sick for her family.

“Kara?” I waved my hand in front of her face. She snapped out of her train of thought.

“Yes?” She responded, still a bit dazed.

“Can you believe it?”

“Believe what?”

“CyberLife. They’re the ones behind this somehow.”

“CyberLife sent those soldiers?”

“Yup.” I dramatically got out of my seat. I have to admit, the restaurant was pretty neat, even if that’s just an afterthought.

“Hey, kid!” A voice called from inside the restaurant. I turned to see who it was.

“Are ya gonna leave, or are ya plannin on buying something?”

“Uhh...” I frantically checked my pockets for any sort of money, because I was starving. After all of the work I went through in the last two days, I deserve a snack.

By the time I finished checking my pockets, with no success, I looked to find Kara already exchanging money for a burger. From the looks of it, she still has quite a bit of money left over.

“Where did you get that money from?” I questioned.

“I just... had it on me.” She took the paper bag from the shopkeeper and ushered me out to the table again. She sat me down and handed me the paper bag. “Rose gave me some money before we drove to Jericho.”

“Wait who’s Rose?”

“She helped us get to Jericho so we could try to get to the border from there.”

“Ahh, I see.”

“She’s a nice person too.” She added. Huh, so I’m not the only sane person in the world? Cool!

“C’mon, eat up, she gestured towards the burger in the paper bag. I tore open the paper bag and dug straight in. It’s not exactly a burger I’m used to. It mostly seemed to consist of lettuce, mayonnaise and a piece of grilled chicken inside. Atleast that’s what I thought it was.

“You got good taste.” I remarked, accidentally letting a piece of lettuce spill out of my mouth. A faint smile grew on her face. Soon enough, there was no more burger left.

“So this Rose, she’s probably sheltering Luther and Alice right?” I asked.

“That’s the idea,” she spoke. “She told me she was staying with her brother, in Ontario.”

“Do you know where they are?”

“She gave me the address. We just gotta cross the border and then we’ll be home free.” She said.

“I see. The question is, how are we crossing the border?”

“Honestly, I haven’t really thought that far ahead. I thought maybe we could just go through border control again? Hopefully, I can find a way to convince them or something.” She definitely seems a bit down on that, as if she's not confident her plan will work. Is the same thing gonna happen again? I hope not. And I’m not saying that because I don’t want to go through the effort of fixing her again.

“Alright then, let’s keep going,” I casually got up from the seat. “Thanks for the burger by the way.”

”Any time.” She patted my shoulder.

The city was more bustling today. Every street we passed by, there atleast a couple of humans walking around. Most of them just looked like shady dealers so we made sure to stay far away from most of them. Of course, there were no operational cars, no buses, or even trains. It’s not like people were going to abandon their homes so easily after the Revolution. Little by little, people started coming back into Detroit. My legs feel a lot better now. A lot more energised and ready for a nice, long walk. I guess I have that burger to thank for that. After everything that’s happened, there’s no way Detroit, let alone, America will ever be the same. Sure, people will eventually come back, but they won’t be the same as before. Some might be nicer, some might be meaner, it’s hard to tell really. Before the deviants emerged, it was easy to psychologically map out what people are thinking, but now that there’s another unpredictable factor, on top of all of the other other unpredictable factors, there’s no telling who’s going to try and hurt me or Kara.

For the last several minutes, I was thinking. Thinking about what it’d be like to be a child android. I mean, I guess they have it the hardest out of all of the androids. Atleast with Kara, she can blend into a crowd for years, maybe even a decade. Alice can’t do that, can she?

“ _No. She can’t, but you know that already._ ” The shadow walked beside me. How long would it take for everyone around her to put two and two together? What would happen to her? Now that I think about it, she’s probably been wondering the same thing. Maybe she just stays at home and avoids going out into public? No, no that wouldn’t be fun for a little kid. Wow, it’s hard being a child android. Imagine only existing only for someone’s entertainment, only to be thrown away or refunded the moment the owner feels bored. Not to mention, they can’t get away with going to school; They’d be exposed in a few years if they stay at a school that long. No wonder Kara wants to take of Alice. She needs Kara more than any human child. What if... nah forget it. Just forget it, Kara doesn’t need that right now, atleast not yet.


	8. A Journey In Scarlet

**February 6th, 2039 12:17 PM**

We’ve been walking for atleast an hour now. The routine afternoon rainfall had just begun, and it doesn’t seem to be phasing Kara one tiny bit. Raindrops are casually falling onto her face, before falling off just as quickly. And she’s not even batting an eye.

“Hey uh, Kara?” I pointed to my hoodie. “Aren’t you gonna put on your hoodie?” I gestured for her to put on the hoodie.

“Oh, right.” She gasped, immediately putting the hoodie over her head. “I’m not exactly used to doing that. It’s hard to do that when you can’t feel the rain.”

“Yeah, I guess I can understand that. If I didn’t cover myself from the rain, I’d be stuck at the hideout with a fever.” I joked. I guess that’s one way to spot a deviant; look for anyone who’s casually walking in the rain without an umbrella.

There was a short silence of just footsteps, until I decided to bite the bullet.

“So, how did you go from ‘really obedient machine’ to ‘humanlike entity with free will’?”

“You mean how did I become a deviant?”

“Yeah. That.”

“Well...” She paused for a few seconds, probably gathering the right words. I was looking around the street to make sure we weren’t being followed. “It’s a long story, I’m not sure you’d want to hear it.”

“I wanna hear it,” I said, urging her to talk. “Go ahead.”

“It all started with this guy called Todd. He was like Alice’s father. Or atleast he was trying to be. But he wasn’t like a normal father. He was ruthless, power-hungry, he was crazy.” She stopped for a moment to recompose herself. “I’d just finished being repaired earlier that. That night, he was something else. When I saw what he was doing to Alice, something just snapped. I knew who she was, but in that moment, it didn’t matter. I couldn’t stand around and watch anymore. So I grabbed her and we ran away as far we could.” At this point, the tears were wobbling at the edge of my eyelids. I could barely see the colourful wall of graffiti on the other side of the road. Rain was frantically racing down the wall, past all of the aerosol paintings, before dramatically clashing with the ground.

“I... didn’t know people like that existed. People who hurt the people they were supposed to love. I’m sorry about that. Hearing that makes me feel lucky for having the kind of parents that I did.” I consoled, tearing streaming down my face.

“Thanks,” She turned to me, still walking. “Don’t cry, if it makes you feel any better, he did kind of admit his mistakes and apologised for it.”

“That’s good,” I replied, half-heartedly wiping the tears away. As we continued walking, something was plaguing my mind. For the most part, I know more about Alice than I do about Kara, which is strange now that I think about it. “You know, I don’t actually know much about you.”

“What do you mean?” She turned to me.

“Well, I know how you got here, but that’s it.” Kara turned back to herself, probably recalling memories. When I looked over, I noticed her head twitching rapidly. She had a strained expression on her face.

“I... can’t access them?” Kara mumbled.

“Is something wrong?” I enquired.

“I think my memory files are corrupted,” she answered. “I can’t access anything from before October 22nd, 2038.”

“That’s not that long ago.” I remarked.

“Actually, it’s nearly two weeks before I became a deviant. So why can’t I remember anything else?”

“For humans, it’s called amnesia. It’s where-“

“I know what amnesia is, Isaac. It’s just that those memories weren’t corrupted before...”

“Before what?”

“Before I went to Zlatko for help.”

“You went to that creep and his fucked up... wait a second...” It didn’t take long for her to figure it out.

“You know him??” Kara exclaimed in an increasingly loud voice. “What, do you lead deviants to his house as well??”

“No no no, I don’t do that,” I reacted. “At all.”

“Then how do you even know him?”

“Let’s just say he’s a business partner. I give him some spare parts, he gives me money in return.” Kara’s sky blue eyes dropped to the ground. “He was the one that tried to erase your memory, wasn’t he?” She nodded so lightly, I could barely notice the movement. “And Luther was with him?”

“Yeah, how did you know?” Her gaze sharpened. “Have you seen him?”

“A couple of times, I think.” I replied hesitantly. “We haven’t talked or anything, he was just silent, doing whatever Zlatko told him to do. He’s with us now? I mean, I don’t really know because I haven’t seen that jerk in a couple of months. Ever since I started tinkering with scraps, I never went to him since.”

“The memory corruption still doesn’t make sense though. I thought I got rid of it all the way back in his mansion...”

“Huh, that _is_ strange. Any idea what else it could be?”

“No, Isaac. I got nothing.” I’ve heard of android memory files being corrupted, but is it even possible to recover them?Wait, wait a second. I might not know, but maybe an android like that Markus guy does.

“Maybe someone in Jericho can help?” I shrugged.

“That would be great, but they’re in Jericho, and we’re not.”

“Did someone say Jericho?” A voice called out from behind us. Kara and I instantly whipped around to see who was eavesdropping on us. Except the voice wasn’t a thug. Or a soldier. Or even a police officer. It was the voice of another stranger on the street, complete with a totally-not-shady-looking cap concealing her eyes from the outside. “Sorry, if I sound like some stalker, I overheard you talking about Jericho.” She didn’t sound very threatening. She did seem pretty threatening though. “Hi, I’m Scarlet. Nice to meet you!” She held out her hand enthusiastically. Actually, scratch that, she doesn’t seem that bad.

“Kara.” She stepped forward to meet her handshake. The second their hands connected, the liquid compound that serves as their skin retracted away, automatically, to temporarily reveal the pale white, yet glowing plastics. Kara instantly snatched her hand back, making sure her hand is as far away from Scarlet as she could before calmly returning her hand back beside her.

“What was that?” She flashed a look towards me before staring Scarlet down. “Are you trying to infect me?” Actually, Kara has a point. What if she just got infected by some unknown virus?

“No it’s not like a virus or anything,” Scarlet reassured us both. “Take a look at your hand.” I instinctively lifted my arm, only to realise that it probably wasn’t for me. When I looked back to Kara, she was busy observing a strange picture emanating from the palm of her hand, much like a hologram. The picture itself was a confusing, to say the least. Regardless, the rain has no problem penetrating the hologram and splashing down onto Kara’s hand. It’s just a picture of some random graffiti on a brick wall, surrounded by other obscure graffiti. The symbol faintly resembled a shuriken. It’s probably the most square shuriken I’ve ever seen, but a shuriken nonetheless. Wait a hot minute, graffiti?

“Hey wait a minute, was this on that graffiti wall?” I realised.

“Yeah...” Kara mumbled off.

“Its a worth a shot.” Scarlet enthusiastically searched for the graffiti wall. “I mean, we’re still going to New Jericho aren't we?”

“New Jericho?” Kara reacted.

“I mean, it makes sense.” I explained. “The old Jericho got blown up so this is technically New Jericho.” Kara shrugged. It’s not like that new piece of information is suddenly going help her out, is it?

“So, do you mind if I tag along?” Scarlet pressed. “It’s just until I get there.”

“Just give us a minute.” Kara ushered me to the corner of an alleyway.

“I don’t really trust her Isaac.” She admitted. “She doesn’t seem innocent to me.”

“Are you sure about that? Because I got the exact opposite impression.”

“You wanna how I found Zlatko’s mansion?” I felt that subtle, yet noticeable raise in Kara’s voice. “An android gave me the address and Alice and I went straight there. I’m not gonna fall for something like that again.” I reached to feel the contents of my bag. The crowbar was still there.

“You know what?” I offered a deal to Kara. It’s not really a deal as much as it is another layer of reassurance. “If you so much as smell a trap, just give me the word, I’ll brandish my crowbar fight beat whoever it is she’s leading us to. How does that sound?”

“I still don’t trust her... but it’s a start.” We gradually walked back to Scarlet, who was patiently sitting at a nearby bus stop. “Alright Scarlet, let’s go.” Upon hearing those words, Scarlet bounced up with a huge smile on her face. I could’ve sworn she looked nearly a decade older than me, yet she behaved a decade younger than me.

“I’m Isaac by the way.” I finally introduced myself.

“Nice to meet you too Isaac!” She smiled back. Soon enough, we backtracked to the graffiti wall, only this time, a symbol immediately caught my eye. It was exactly like the one that was glowing from Kara’s hand.

“Okay, we found it. Now what?” I looked to Scarlet who was busily gazing at the symbol. When I turned back to Kara, she was doing the same thing. Staring.

“Now look at your hand again Kara.” She instructed. I almost fell for it again, but managed to catch my hand this time. Kara swiftly lifts up the palm of her hand revealed the image again. Except it wasn’t the same image. The graffiti symbol was at the corner of an alleyway this time. On one side of the corner was the symbol, isolated and almost concealed by the darkness. The other side had half of a sign with the words:

**Clyde’s B**

“It’s the same symbol...” she spoke out loud.

“...but the location’s changed.” I finished her sentence.

“Now we just have to find where this symbol is.” Scarlet added. “This next one has to be the last of those graffiti symbols.”

“What makes you say that?” Kara enquired.

“The fact that I’ve been walking through this neighbourhood for a whole week. That is going to be the eighth symbol I’ve seen so far. It better be the last one, or I’ll lose it.”

“Is it that frustrating?” I asked. “Finding these symbols?”

“Yes, yes it is. But I try not to let frustrate me. After all, I have a whole world to explore.” There was seconds of silence, along with confused expressions across everyone’s faces, mine included. At the very corner of my view, I noticed Kara’s eyes go wide.

“Clyde’s Burgers,” she finally revealed to Scarlet and me. “That’s where it is.”

“Oh yeah.” I realised. 

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go already!” Scarlet raced ahead of us. We had to brisk through the streets to even keep up with her. This time, there weren’t as many other people around. It felt like a ghost town again. I even thought I hallucinated a tumbleweed at one point.

“So what did you used to do before you were a deviant Scarlet?” Kara enquired. And I was going to ask the same thing too.

“Well, I mean, my job was pretty boring.” She muttered. “All I did was sit in front of this weird camera for a week. It’s almost like a video call, except I was watching other androids, or... something like that. I don’t know why, but seeing all those deviants, doing whatever they wanted, it just set off something inside me. I know I am someone, I just wanted to find out who. I know this is going to sound a bit silly, but when I asked the screen if I could leave, it just... accepted.

“Just like that?” I asked, somewhat shocked. How does a human just let an android, let alone a deviant just walk out like that?

“Just like that,” she confirmed. “And then I spent the next month or so just exploring Detroit. It IS a beautiful place isn’t it? I still can't believe this place used to be wasteland...”

“Yeah, it really is...” Kara nodded.

“Anyway, about a week ago, I found out about some android utopia called New Jericho, and I wanted to get there ever since. Then I met you guys! And now we’re about to find it!” Scarlet concluded. It only took about half an hour now, but we finally made it to Clyde’s Burgers. My legs want to kill me at this point. They’re almost begging me to find a place and sit down. Here’s to hoping there’s one in New Jericho, considering how androids don’t need to sit down or... do much of anything really. They’re more like plants than humans, now that I think about it. Maybe Markus should protest for plant rights?

“ _And while he’s at it, maybe he could dress up as one too._ ” I laughed a little inside. That would be pretty hilarious. It’s just a shame it’s never going to happen though.

“Alright, there’s the symbol again,” Kara pointed to up to the symbol. It was nearly ten feet above us, almost taunting us with its existence. The pale square-shaped shuriken, surrounded in a sea of grey, brown and the occasional maroon bricks.

“Hey guys!” Scarlet called from deeper inside the alley. “I think I found the entrance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter so long to put out. It was an absolute slog to write, simply because there were so many ways to approach it. Eventually, I settled on a path and stuck to it. If you have any suggestions for improvement, make sure to leave them down in the comments section below. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!


	9. New Jericho

**February 6th, 2039 3:21 PM**

I felt a hand grip the side of my shoulder tightly. It was Kara. She was cautiously observing Scarlet’s every move. I could tell she sensed something. Without drawing any attention to myself, I pulled out the old crowbar that had been laying in my bag for atleast a day now, ready to fight whoever’s behind that door. And even Scarlet if I have to. Speaking of Scarlet, she was happily waltzing in circles in front of the door, like a puppy who’s reached the end of a scent trail. Kara and I slowly approach the door along with Scarlet. It was a dark grey metallic door, one that probably lost its luster because of the chaotic weather over the last year or so. I’m amazed it’s still not that rusty. Kara grabbed the rounded handled and tried her best to force the door open. Her shouldered slammed into the center of the door, releasing a loud creaking noise.

“It won’t budge,” Kara admitted defeat. “Scarlet check your hand, maybe the clue’s been-“

“Password.” A voice called out. We looked back towards the door, only this time, we were met with a pair of eyes staring right back at us.

“Password?” Scarlet tilted her head at the door. “What password?”

“Wrong password,” The voice announced. There wasn’t an ounce of leniency in its voice too. “You. Boy, password.” The eyes glared at me this time. I gripped the crowbar in my hand, almost tempted to poke it through the hole in the door. Eventually, my grip calmed and I did my best to think of an answer.

“rA9?” I said, shrugging. Come on now, what was I supposed to say, he didn’t give any clues.

“Wrong password,” The voice announced, with the same amount of mercy as last time. Absolutely none whatsoever. “You in the white hair. Password.” It looked at Kara now, though now, it seemed more grumpy than angry. Must be infuriating when three people arrive at the door to New Jericho and all three of them mess it up. Kara didn’t flinch one bit. She focused on the rough, wet concrete in front of her. What could that password be? Kara finally moved, yet it wasn’t her mouth, but rather her hand. She pointed the palm of her hand to the door before manifesting the image of the square shuriken.

“Is this the password?” She asked, raising her eyebrows. The door didn’t respond. Shortly afterwards, the gap where we could see the eyes slammed shut and the door sluggishly opened with a loud, relentless screeching noise. I kept my hands firmly in my ears the whole time. Once the torture stopped, I dropped my hands back down. At the door was well, an android. Atleast that’s what he looked like, what, with all wires flowing out of his left hand and the pale white hand. The entire right side of his head was heavily damaged, save for the eyes. And then there’s the bright yellow LED, illuminating in the dim light. His clothes were almost perfectly intact, given his condition, even if it’s just the usual hoodie.

“Come in.” He spoke again, making way for the three of us. I clenched my crowbar, prepared to whack him in the face if he tried anything. “What’s the crowbar for?”

“Uhh, I-I just... like keeping it around.” I stammered, trying to make the crowbar look like anything but a weapon. I failed. Gloriously.

“Alright, well make sure not hit anyone on your way in.” He waved us off. “The main area is down the corridor and to your left.”

“Got it.” Scarlet waved back at him. “Thank you!” The place itself looked abandoned. The wallpaper was completely torn and scratched and the floorboards felt like they could give way at any moment. When he said corridor, I didn’t think that it was going be that creepy. This could have been a set from a horror movie and I wouldn’t have known about it. Once we got to the end of the corridor, we heard loud noises from the left. It sounds like... chatter? It’s definitely chatter. There were bright lights shining from underneath the door. As we approached the room, the hallway began to become less and less creepy. The floorboards solidifying themselves mere metres from the door. I held the crowbar at my chest, prepared to face anyone who comes in my... our way. Just like before, Kara held the door at the handle, only this time, she didn’t have to tackle it like a football player. With the simple twist of a knob, the door practically opened itself, revealing something that definitely didn’t deserve to see the end of my crowbar. Almost nobody noticed us. They must’ve been busy going about their own business. The main hall wasn’t exactly anything luxurious, but I’d imagine this is best kind of shelter an android can get. I could totally imagine this place as a hotel that got abandoned during the Android Revolution. The place was absolutely bustling. I don’t think the entire city was as lively as this. Some of the androids were talking amongst each other, some of them were carrying crates and some of them just stood and watched. I think I even saw a couple of robot kids playing tag. I didn’t know this was the place that got raided in November. The same place where soldiers broke in and shot down anyone who walked in front of their holographic sights.

“Alright, first things first, let’s find a place to rest for the next couple of hours.” I jogged around, looking for a nice, quiet place. Now that I think about, that probably won’t happen considering the fact that I’m standing in the middle of an entire village concentrated into a building. It’s a big building, but still. It won’t be easy to find some peace and quiet. There’s got to be a quiet where I could just lie down and-

“You must be new here,” A voice rang from behind me. It wasn’t gentle like Kara’s or playful like Scarlet’s. It sounded more like mine, except slightly... older? I can’t wait for my voice to sound like that. Also, mental note, don’t let people sneak up behind me. Gradually, I turned around, one twitchy step at a time. My arms were almost frozen in place, unsure of whether or I’d been spotted by someone like Markus. It was only at this moment, I realised exactly what I would mean to Markus. I could easily walk out of here tell the police department about this place. New Jericho would be raided, just like last time. “What’s your name, Mr Human?” He joked, almost bursting into laughter the moment he said it. He didn’t look like any of the androids New Jericho. He wasn’t trying to disguise himself. If the moment weren’t so tense, I’d have thought he was making a fashion statement, what, with the brown short-sleeved trenchcoat. Hang on, there’s only one person in New Jericho who would ever dress like that...

Its leader.

“Uhh, I’m Isaac...” my voice was shakier than ever.

“Well then, welcome to New Jericho, Isaac,” he spoke again. What is he going to do to me?

“Your room’s up those stairs over there.” He pointed to a clean flight of stairs, leading up to another floor. “Room 212.” What? He’s... not going to kill me?

“R-Right...” I stammered. “Thanks for the help.”

“See you around Isaac,” he waved me off. “And don’t tell anybody else!” I searched through the giant room, occasionally bumping past some rather friendly androids, for Kara and Scarlet, eager to tell them about the room Markus allowed us to stay in for now.

“Isaac?” She spotted me amongst a small crowd of androids. “Isaac, where have you been?”

“I found a place we could rest,” I huffed out the news as quickly as I mouth could speak.

“That’s good. Where is it?”

“Upstairs. Room 212. I was just talking to Markus, but I don’t know where he is now.”

“Oh, that’s alright. You take a rest, I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Hey um, Kara, how’s your memory now?”

“It’s... not any better. Hopefully, Markus knows a way to fix it.” She nodded, still hopeful that she could figure it all out.

“Alright then, I’ll see you later.” I grouched over to the stairs. My legs were almost shaking from exhaustion at this point. There was no sign of Scarlet anywhere. I guess she got what she came for. Once I had finished lumbering up the stairs, my eyes were almost bleeding from how red the walls were. The main hall looks decent, but up here? It was a whole other story. The corridors alone were oozing luxury. I could feel the soft carpet compressing underneath the soles of my shoes, unlike the carpet back at the hideout, where it was rough and even a bit brittle. It’s not exactly in pristine condition, but atleast I could tell this place used to be luxurious. Eventually, as I walked down a few corridors, searching for Room 212, I finally come across it’s door. It was one of those fancy kinds of doors that had two weird rectangle-shaped carvings on it. Once, I grabbed the doorknob, a sudden realisation came over me. The door isn’t locked. I sent myself into high alert and opened the door at a much slower pace than I normally do, observing every inch of new sight I get to make the room is empty. The good news is it was empty. The bad news is... well, actually, there’s no bad news. The room was coated in the same bright scarlet red as the corridors. The bed stood like an elephant in the room, carrying its plump mattress. Like any mature person, I jumped face-first onto the bed, my head was instantly cushioned from the force of my jump. I breathed a huge sigh of relief, my legs were finally getting some rest now. After some time passed, I managed to sit myself up at the edge of the bed, almost losing myself in the comfy mattress again. Apparently, there was a TV in this room as well. I picked up the remote on a nearby table and turned it on. Of course, the news just so happened to be on. In a time like this, when is it ever NOT on?

“This is Joss Douglas, reporting live, from the DPD.” The freelance reporter pointed his microphone at another familiar individual. “Captain Fowler, can your share with us your progress on the deviancy case?”

“I’m afraid we can’t disclose the specifics, but only that we do have a lead that we are currently following up on now.” The Captain spoke with a rough, albeit, nervous voice. I guess he and his officers dknt understand deviancy either.

“Excuse me, Jeffrey, Joss, do you mind if I say something?” A man emerged from the crowd of officers. He didn’t particularly tall, but I noticed the bandage on his nose right away. “Hi Joss, I’m Agent Richard Perkins, I’m collaborating with Fowler and his team on this case.” He spoke. “As Jeffrey so kindly mentioned earlier, we do have a lead. If you happened to come across a kid called Isaac Kirtley, please bring him down to the police station so we can have a chat with him. We know for a fact that he’s not dead, there’s been no records of his death, nor any records of a passport under his name, so he’s still here.” He tilted his head towards the obviously angry Captain. “Oh and Isaac, we’d really appreciate if you turned yourself in.” Joss slowly returns the microphone back underneath his mouth.

“This is Joss Douglas, you heard it here first, back to you.” I switched off the TV. No doubt, somebody else in New Jericho has to have seen the news by now.

“Isaac, I know what you’re thinking.” The voice spoke out for the first time in a long while.

“Yeah, so?” I replied, still shocked at the news.

“I’m just saying, be careful. Don’t let them trace the call back to you. Cuz they don’t kill you, Markus will.” I quickly looked up the public number for the DPD and dialed straight away. It wasn’t until a minute that I finally heard a voice on the other side.

“DPD, Officer Chris speaking.” He introduced himself. “What’s the case?”

“Can you give the phone to Captain Fowler?”

“Uhh excuse me, who is this?”

“Somebody important. Can you give him the phone or not?”

“Alright alright, fine.” Chris reluctantly agreed. After a couple of seconds of what I assumed was bickering, I felt cross over to Fowler.

“This is Captain Fowler, who am I talking to?”

“I’m a civilian who knows about Isaac, or atleast, his family,” I could feel my wrist heat up underneath the watch. I was playing a dangerous game, but one I had to play, if I wanted to know what happened. “I’m sorry, I’d rather just stay anonymous.”

“Alright, what do you know?” I took a deep breath. The play starts now.

“I’ll tell you only if you tell me why his family died.”

“Well, his family was caught in a house fire.”

“Hey wait, that’s not true.” I exclaimed, eager to prove it. “They were murdered that evening.”

“Oh yeah?” He replied sarcastically. “There wasn't a single goddamn witness on the street who said they were murdered. Who on Earth do you think could've murdered them?”

“Easy. CyberLife.” There was a short pause on the other side. This was a pretty serious accusation after all.

“Okay, you're talking pretty big Mr Civilian, can you back it up?”

“Yeah,” I remarked. “Yeah I can back it up.”

"Well? Who's the source?" 

"I ain't telling you."

"Look, son, if you don't tell me who and where your source is, I won't tell you what happened." I can't tell him, but this is my only chance. Eventually, they'll get onto my trail anyway. I have to know what really happened. The suspense is going to kill me long before a soldier does.

“Okay, fine.” I reluctantly admitted defeat. I took a deep breath. I could feel the watch sliding fron the sweat. “I _am_ the source. Those were _my_ parents who died that night.” I took another deep breath. “I watched soldiers walk into my house, I saw them set it on fire and drive away like it was nothing. DO you have no idea how painful it was to watch that? Or how much it hurts to know you shouldn’t have survived that?” I exhaled the remainder of my breath before taking in another one. “I’ll ask you something else, Captain. What did my dad do since the start of the year? Because I know for a fact that it was something my dad did and that it was bad enough to get them both killed.” I stood up, waiting for his answer. All I got was a loud THUD from the other side of the call. He didn’t seem too happy about the situation. I mean who would be happy about getting interrogated over the phone by a 15 year-old kid? “Captain?” I probed the call to see if he was still there. “I did my part, I’m a direct witness, please, just tell me what got them killed.”

“A deviant made it through your father’s assembly line.” He finally spoke. He sounded somber, as if he were telling me one of his relatives just died. There was a long pause. I didn’t know what to say. Wait, one mistake, did all of this? No, I can’t be here of my dad’s mistake, I just can’t.

“...What?” My eyes were wider than they’ve ever been. “No, that’s bullshit, tell me the truth!”

I _am_ telling you the truth!” He growled over the phone. I have an official record right here. It says your father let a deviant android through his assembly. It's the only time something like that has ever happened." 

“But that means you knew! Why aren’t you doing anything about it?”

“Because until we can prove it, there’s nothing I can do.” He concluded. “Prove that his incident in CyberLife is linked to the house fire.” I didn’t want to admit it, or see it in a remotely true light, but he was right. Apart from me, who else has seen it happen? Even worse, who else is willing to tell? “Come on, prove it.”

I tried my best to sound as polite as possible. This was a lost battle. A battle where I don’t have the resources to win. “Thank you for telling me.” I finally cut the call. There was no way I could rest now. I didn’t even have to try. A revelation like that could keep anyone awake for atleast a day. No way. I won’t stay here. I won’t help the same people who got my family killed. I won’t help the same people who made my life crash and burn for over six long years. I went back downstairs to go check on Kara. More specifically, I went downstairs to say goodbye. I'm done. There she was, standing at a corner with Markus and what hat looked like his crew. Even Scarlet was there. At long last, Kara detected me walking towards her and the other androids. She laid an her arm on my shoulder.

“Isaac, what are you doing here? I thought we’re sleeping.” I let my eyes drop to the ground.

“I didn’t feel like sleeping,” she tilted her head, like she was trying to read what I’m thinking. “Hey, uh, did you finally get your memories back?”

“No, he had no idea why my memories were corrupted so badly,” Just a few seconds later, she picked up a smile again. “Well, atleast I got the tickets,” she waved the two tickets in her hand. “Here’s one for you, and one for me.” I laid out my hand and she gave me the second ticket.

“What about Scarlet? Is she getting one too?”

“Yeah, don’t worry Isaac, she’s getting another one.” I don’t know why, but tears began to well up in my eyes. Every muscle on my face felt droopy, it felt like a chore to talk.

“Um, Kara. I-I came to say goodbye.”

“What do you mean?” Her gaze sharpened. “Why?”

“Because... I thought I’d be happier if I went along with you.” My entire head hung down to the floor now. I couldn’t even look. “It’s clear now, that it isn’t possible for me. I’m sorry Kara.” The tears in my eyes dropped to the floor, one by one, one from each eye at a time. “I hope you make it across.” I headed back towards the front door. I looked back towards Kara, but all I got was a face of dismay.

“ _Isaac where are you going?_ ” It was that voice again.

“The hideout,” My voice different now, as if it were combined with the newfound rage for deviants. “I never want to see this place again.”

“Hey wait, where’re you going?” The doorkeeper stared down at me.

“I’m going, I know my way out.” I shit the door behind me. I was back st the alleyway, only now, it was darker than ever. By now, it’d almost be dinner time. I trudged my way through the cold, winter night. There was nobody to be seen, probably inside their homes with their own warm fireplace. Right next to me was that shadow that I’ve been hallucinating for the last few days.

“ _The truth hurts, doesn’t it?_ ”

“What? No, you do NOT have any right to talk like that after making me go in the first place!”

“ _Why not? It DOES hurt, doesn’t it?_ ”

“Why did you make go with her, huh?”

“ _Oh, I made YOU go with Kara? Last time I checked, you did that yourself._ ” I let a crude growl, possibly disturbing the non-existent wildlife.

“You’re not making any sense. None of this makes any sense.”

“ _Of course it doesn’t. You don’t want it to make sense._ ” With each passing minute, my breath became more and more heavy, struggling to push the air down my throat. I rubbed out the crystallised tears in my eyes. The night was approaching much faster than I thought.

I'd been outside for hours, slowly making my way home. My limbs felt like clunky tin cans stuck together with a loose glue. Every minor muscle on my face was twitching uncontrollably, as if I'd been hit with a drug. I couldn't control myself. I can make it to Police Station can't I? I can tell them everything, New Jericho, Markus, Kara, Scarlet, the whole lot. I could atleast avenge my parents. If it weren't for deviants, they'd still be alive and well. I'd still be in that house, laughing at one of Dad's corny jokes. I could just barely imagine the beaming light over our dinner table. We'd probably be eating one of Mom's obscure dishes. For the time in months, the whole family would occupy the table, talking about things that happened earlier that day. But no. I don't get a Dad. I don't get a Mom. I don't a get a dinner table full of delicious food. Nothing. That's what I get. Instead of pigging out and telling jokes, I have to scrape the nearest trash can or life from the nearest restaurant just to survive until the next day. Every now and then, I find a bit of money, but by the end of the week, it's never enough. Ever since I heard about Zlatko's death, my only source of stable money was gone. Everything in my hideout was either worthless or too valuable to be sold. I didn't want to live like this. Like an animal, hiding from society so it doesn't caught by the pound. I want my old life back.

Just as I approached the street of my hideout, I heard the unadulterated roar of an engine behind me. The jet black muscle car was closely followed by a mob of smoke, mostly thanks to the cold weather. Its headlights pierced through the air, almost blinding me at first. Soon enough, the car hovered beside me, the engine still booming. The window wound down, revealing the driver.

“Get in. Now.”


	10. Where’s My Soul?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING AHEAD
> 
> This chapter contains elements of suicide and suicidal thoughts. If this is not up your alley, then I totally understand. I have done my absolute best to make sure that no character is "glorifying" or "romanticising" suicide in any way. Suicide is a serious situation. My advice would be to contact professional help. Since I live in Australia, the Lifeline Australia number is 13 11 14. For a list of helplines in Australia, visit www.gogentle.org.au/suicide_help. This applies to people whose friends are having suicidal thoughts as well.
> 
> Isaac is someone who has been traumatised by the death of his parents for years now. Even though it isn’t exactly prevalent, the story starts with his emotional state at its tipping point. Personally, I have never tried to commit suicide, nor have I ever had suicidal thoughts, but I do understand how depression works, and how much of a role it can play. 
> 
> To this day, I still struggle to figure out whether my mind is peaceful or happy. What I do know is that I have to be happy in order to be peaceful and I have to be peaceful in order to learn how to be happy. 
> 
> Even after all of the emotional turmoil I have gone through in my life, I know for a fact that I have one of these. Right now, it’s a matter of figuring out which. Peace or happiness? And once I find out which, start to work my way towards obtaining the other quality. In a way, this is a story about the synergy between peace and happiness and what that does to people. 
> 
> "You can’t be happy if you're not at peace and you can’t be at peace if you don’t know how to be happy."  
> \- OoXLR8oO
> 
> Anyway, enough yapping from me, hope you enjoy the final chapters!

**February 6th, 2039 8:53 PM**

“That’ll be eleven dollars,” A man in a grey and yellow apron spoke. He also wore a matching cap and owned the food truck we were at. The Chicken Feed. Who thought that was a good name? It looks as though the lights that outlined the name are supposed to be one. “But for you and your kid, Hank? It’s on the house. Or, uh, the food truck.”

“Thanks, Gary,” Hank held a smoothie in each hand. And I’m still in the car. “And no, he’s a client.” Now would be a good time to book it. He’s occupied, the doors are basically open, it’s perfect.

“ _And go straight to the DPD?_ ” The voice ringed in my head. “ _He’s probably taking you there, just stay here._ ”

“Alright, fine,” I sighed. “Whatever.”

“Hey kid, you mind opening the door?” Hank yelled from outside the car.

“Only if you tell me where you’re taking me.” I bartered.

“Okay, just let me in already, I can’t hold these forever, they’re freezing!” I reached out to the handle from behind and pulled it inwards. The door almost clicked open. Hank rushed in, handing me a smoothie almost immediately. With a simple twist of the key, the car roared back to life. I kicked back against car’s sudden speed. I think we even passed my hideout.

“Can you tell me where we’re going?” I pressed from the backseat.

“Yes.” Hank responded. I saw a tiny smirk on his face from the rear-view mirror.

“Well, where are we going?”

“There’s this spot I like going to.” He spoke with turning his head. “There’s a playground there if you want to go on it.” That is so funny. No, no it isn’t.

“If you could just drop me off at the police station on the way, that would be great.”

“And tell them about New Jericho?” Wait, how does he know that? “No, you and I need to talk.”

“Wait how do you know that I’ve been to New Jericho?”

“Connor told me you left the place. I wanted to make sure you didn’t make it to the police first.” Oh. Of course, Connor knows. I should have known.

“No, the real is I saw the news.” His voice wasn’t as cheerful as before. “If you go there, Isaac, you won’t make it out.”

“W-What do you mean? Why can’t I just go and tell them?”

“Because they’ll make sure you don’t make it out of the station for the rest of your life. Okay?” Hank focused back on the road. “For now, just drink the smoothie.” I slurped on the smoothie. My tongue instantly retreated on the first touch, but eventually it began to savagely consume the smoothie. I was starving. And it tastes like mango. 

Even though the sky was dark, it was almost impossible to see any stars. Clouds covered every inch of the night sky. I had just finished sipping the last of my smoothie when car slumbered to a halt again, this time, near a set of swings. The entire vicinity was under a blanket of pale white snow. As soon I stepped out, I felt my the sole of my shoe make its way through the snow and rest on the solid concrete ground. There was a playground a short distance where Hank parked the car. It was a faded green, one that had been around for a long while. Hank got out of the car and casually strolled over to a nearby bench, dumping his smoothie cup in a nearby bin. I followed him to the bench, dumping my cup into the bin and joining the bench. He sat down with his feet laid across the face of the bench and sat down on the back railing, while I sat down on it with my legs crossed. The lights illuminated the bridge in a dazzling aqua, going across the entire frame, spanning the entire way over what I thought was a river. The river itself was enormous. I’d probably guess the width was close to a few kilometres. On the other side was another collection of twinkling lights, bundled together in what people call a city. I think it’s Windsor, the place Kara’s trying to get to.

“So, uh, do you go to an orphanage?” Hank broke the silence.

“What? No, I don’t go an orphanage,” I replied, barely moving to face him. “Place creeps me out.”

“Well, how ‘bout school?” Hank asked again. What is he getting at? “You ever went to one o’ those?”

“I mean, I used to... but after that night I just stopped.”

“Okay... d’you know anyone else? Other than me and Kara?” I finally turned to face him. Or atleast I tried. All my head could do was sink down into my lap.

“No. I have relatives but I never knew where they were. And I didn’t really wanna ask anyone.”

“Because you’re scared of those soldiers, aren’t you?” I nodded. “Scared that they’re gonna kill you?” I nodded again, still refusing to look Hank in the eye.

“What’s the point of this, Hank?” I said, trying to not to expose the lump in my throat.

“Well the point of all this is to-“

“I don’t mean that, I mean, what am I doing here?” When I looked up, I found Hank staring intently. “What’s the point of going through a trash can, or stealing, or making weird shit like this watch?” I waved my watch up to him, almost tempted to smash it down on the bench. “I feel like a machine more than some living being. I don’t have ‘freedom’ or ‘choice’. I have to do same fucking thing everyday just so I can live to see the next one, and I’m sick of it!” My voice finally rose in tone. I took a moment to let it drop back down. “The truth is, I’m not supposed to be here, Hank. I should’ve died in that house with them.” Hank took a moment, to heed everything that I had just said. Finally, he looked back at me. His expression was even more stern than before. Yet something about him was different, like he was curious.

“What about the case?” Hank tried to switch the topic. “Isn’t that what you wanna know?”

“You saw the news right?” I asked Hank, trying to fill him in on what I did.

“Yeah, so? They want you.”

“Well, after that broadcast, I phoned that Fowler guy to try and find out what my Dad did a few months before the murder. Apparently Dad let a deviant through his assembly line.”

“So you already know, huh?”

“Yeah.” I sighed. Hank didn’t seem as rigid as before. He’s still just as serious, but now he seems a bit more consoling. Eventually we broke contact from each and sat apart.

“Do you want to die Isaac?” I could feel the ripple in his voice when he said that. It hurts for him to say it. I didn’t say anything. I was too frightened by what he meant. Is he serious?

“I uh, I...” I was genuinely bamboozled. I was at a lost for words. But at the same time, I knew what I wanted. “...I don’t know. I’ve always wanted to be with them again,” Hank’s sharp gaze shifted back to his car. “I miss them, Hank. At this point, I don't even care anymore, the world can go-” By the time I looked up, Hank was already off the bench and headed for his car.

“Where’re you going?” I yelled.

“I’m getting something!” He yelled back, still making a beeline. I was watching closely, trying to make out what he was. It looks like he’s trying to find something. It wasn’t until I heard that recognisable clank of metal and steel, that I knew what he was looking for.

A gun.

Just what is he thinking?

“ _Stay alert, and get ready to run._ ” The voice warned me. Almost as if he’d heard me, Hank put his hands up in the air, clearly the gun he’d been looking for. He held the gun by its barrel so I knew he wasn’t going to fire it, so what does he want with it? He strutted back to the bench, and offered me the gun.

“It’s up to you, Isaac,” his voice was softer than before. “Every story has an ending. The question is, do you wanna stop writing now?” I stared at the gun. It wasn’t a revolver of any kind. It was just a normal handgun. The gun itself was inhumanly clean, it’s surface was probably more reflective than the mirror I have in my bathroom back at the hideout. Engraved along the undermost part of the gun barrel were the words ‘Made in Detroit’. Hank didn’t look happy, or excited. He was desolate and despaired, but some part of him is trying as hard he can to stay neutral. I enveloped my hand around the gun, making sure my finger wasn’t anywhere near the trigger, before turning away and steadily made my way to the railing overlooking the vast body of water. The gun felt heavier than I thought. And strangely enough, it was warmer than my hand. I quickly checked the magazine. One bullet. Each and every step felt heavier than the last. Now I was less than a metre away from the cold, steel railing. By now, the gun was breathing down the side of my head, the end of the barrel was just an inch away. When I looked back, all I saw was Hank’s back. My finger was coiled around the trigger. I was losing control. Or was I letting myself lose control? I could feel the spring of the trigger hardening as it slowly approaches that fatal threshold. This isn’t bad is it? All I’m doing is going to be with my family again, aren’t I? No more hiding from the world. What about Kara? Well, she’s a deviant. Deviants are the reason my family is dead. Deviants are the reason I’ve been trying to survive all this time, if it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be here. That makes her an enemy. I shut my eyes closed, anticipating the bullet piercing my head completely. The trigger was almost there. I was almost there. Just a little bit- 

_NO_.

My hand began to shake uncontrollably. I could feel my trigger finger relaxing, reversing the progress it had made in the last minute. What’s happening? For the first time in a few minutes, the gun entered my peripheral vision again. Like a man possessed, my arm began to move by itself. How? I could see my hand forcing the gun in front of my face, the barrel pointing out into the vast river ahead. My hand finally unleashed all of the tension onto the gun, pulling the trigger almost instantly. In just the blink of an eye, my own hand had rebelled against me. Why? I have nothing to live for. No family, no friends, no purpose. Nothing.

“ _Because you made a promise, Isaac._ ”

In a way, I was almost glad to hear that voice again. I thought I’d shunned it away forever. When I opened my eyes, I wasn’t met with light, but rather almost complete darkness. I wasn’t at the bridge anymore. It was the Mind Palace again. Next to me, there was a burnt out medieval torch. The moment I picked it up, it set aflame, revealing the true state of my mind. The flame cast a strong purple light, covering all the scattered books and shelves in the purple shade. There were more books on the ground than on the shelves, and there more shelves upturned than shelves that stood upright. “ _You promised them that you will always stay strong. ALWAYS._ ” The voice manifested itself as a shadow. This time, it resembled a human more than anything. Its details were much more striking too. I could make an outline of hair, hands and feet. Near the middle of the face area, were two fiery orange eyes.

“Who are you?” I asked it. “How did you do that?”

“ _I’m just... you,_ ” The voice spoke. It was much softer than I expected. The silence that followed was almost unbearable. When I looked around, there weren’t as many books on the ground anymore. “ _I’m sorry I stopped you all those years ago, Isaac. You and I both deserve to be with them. But why do we have to die to make that happen?_ ” It took a stride forward, transforming from a shadow into a being of black flames. Even though it’s eyes were devilish, they leaked in innocence. I still think he’s a kind of shadow though. It pointed straight at me. My heart. “ _They’re already in there, Isaac. They were always with you._ ” Maybe they really were. “ _Don’t believe me?_ ” The shadow walked to a book. Even after all of the carnage, it lay there, casually leaning against the frame of the shelf. The book he gave me rang a bell almost immediately. Inside were things that I hadn’t seen ever since that day: Photos. Some photos had Mom, some had Dad, some had both of them together, but just one of them had all three of us together. I was a barely a toddler back then, but I had a smile that could make a valley look flat. My parents weren’t any different. Dad was showing off his newly shaved beard and Mom was rocking a pair of star-shaped glasses. Both of my hands were encased in theirs. They looked so happy. It’s a beautiful picture. But I’d only ever seen it a couple of times in my entire life. They might not be alive anymore, but they’re not dead either. They’re living right here in this book. And for me, that was enough.

“Dad still looks like a dork.” I remarked, smiling. I looked around for the shadow but he was nowhere to be seen. Where did he go? Atleast there weren’t books on the ground anymore. The whole place looked clean again. In just a blink of my eyes, I was thrown back into reality. The ocean was quiet and calm. Everything feels quiet and calm. I didn’t feel angry anymore. Am I at peace? I was on my knees, with Hank’s gun still in hand. I was covered in a giant shadow.

“Isaac? Can you hear me?” Hank was talking into my ear, trying to make sure I was okay. “Jesus, I didn’t think you’d actually try to shoot yourself.” He grabbed the gun out of my hands. I hadn’t even dropped the gun yet. That’s when it hit me. I almost killed myself. It became a bigger deal by the second.

“Yeah,” I nodded. “Hey, um Hank, how does someone become happy?” Hank looked at me with an intrigued look. I think his head tilted a bit too.

“Well Isaac,” Hank held the gun beside him, holding it by the barrel. “You can start by never pointing one of these at your own head again. Clear?”

“Crystal.” I nodded in agreement. “How did you figure I wouldn’t shoot myself?” Hank pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and straightened it out as much as he could.

“Because I found this,” he handed me the paper.

No.

Way.

It was the photo. The one with all three of us. How did he find it? Screw that, WHERE did he find it? “You’re not gonna believe this, but your father had a secret compartment in his office. He hid the photo along with...” He took out his phone and began to type rapidly.

“With what else Hank?” I tried to get him to finish what he said.

“Oh hold it, will ya?” He continued typing. “I’m sending you a video now.” What video? Hank, what are you talking about? “There, done. You should get it any second now.” My watch buzzed again. It was the video Hank sent me.

“Wait, THAT’S your phone?!” Hank shouted. “Man, I gotta get myself one of those.” I looked back at the video and hit the giant triangle in the middle. Almost immediately, a familiar showed up. Dad.

“May 20th 2032.” He said. I almost forgot what his voice sounded like. “The time is precisely 1:07pm.” He took a moment to straighten up. “If you’re seeing this, then that means I’m already dead. I’m not going to sugarcoat anything. CyberLife is after me and my family. I have no idea how they managed to find out, but they did and are now arranging to ‘meet’ at my house. What happened was that on April 20th, a month ago, a defective machine made it through my assembly line. As of now, I have no idea where this machine is, as its tracker isn’t functioning. What people don’t know was that...” he took a moment to clear his throat. “...I did it on purpose.” He quickly looked down, before lifting himself to look at the camera. "Regina, Isaac, if you see this, I’m sorry. You are the two most important people in the world. _My_ world. That never changed. The truth is, we’ve made machines that can feel things. Emotions, thoughts, pain, the whole lot. When I was going through the motions, I came across a particular android. She was unlike anything I had ever seen. What was originally a motion test, became a playground. She had passed of my tests but once she told me that she thought that she was alive, I followed standard protocols and began dismantling her.” He took a few seconds to check and see if anybody was nearby. “What followed were the most gruelling minutes of my life. She begged me non-stop for her life, promising that she wouldn’t even think if she was left alive. I’m sorry dear, but I won’t kill anyone who’s begging for their life the same way this android did. I just... won’t.” Dad took a moments to regain himself. He was probably figuring out what to say next. He turned back to the camera. “So I rebuilt her and let her through.” Dad looked a bit more relaxed now. “Kara, if you ever see this, just know that the world will not make it easy for you. You gotta fight for your spot. Once you get your spot, you have to fight to make sure you don’t lose it. Don’t break your promise.” He took another look around. “End recording.” The video stopped. But my tears haven’t. They haven’t stopped rolling ever since the video began.

“Your friend is an android, right?” Hank placed a gentle, but heavy hand on my shoulder. I nodded. “That means...”

“Kara,” I responded. “She’s the deviant who made it.”

“She's also the first deviant. There isn’t an earlier record of a deviant. Fuck, she's rA9!”

“That’s not exactly true, Hank.” I tried to cut him off. "She isn't freeing anyone or leading a revolution." I’ll be honest, that was still one hell of a bombshell. But atleast I know that this wasn’t an accident. Dad did it on purpose. If only he knew what I would go through. 

“In a way, I have to thank Arthur.” Hank uttered.

“What for?”

“Well, I mean... I never really did like those CyberLife guys. With this, they’ll be under fire for months, maybe even years.” We went back and sat at the bench again, staring out into the city ahead. Kara’s bus isn’t going anywhere for another hour.

"...I used to be a bit like you, Isaac."

"How?"

"A few years ago, I had a car accident. I had to rush my son to the hospital. Cole was just six years old..." I could the droop in his eyes. It's as if he's holding himself back from crying. "He was put in the care of an android. He didn't make it. Ever since then, I've just hated androids. I thought they couldn't understand what nuance was, or how important something meant to someone else." Hank leaned forward. He was basically looking straight into the ground.

"Jesus, I'm sorry about what happened to Cole." I tried my best to console him.

"Thank god I was wrong." There was a short but noticeable silence. The whole place was totally silent, I could even hear, let alone, see my own breath. “I guess you probably don’t like your dad,” Hank broke the silence.

“Kind of.” I replied.

“You wanna know what I think of all that? The video?”

“What?”

“In that moment, your dad didn’t see a machine. He saw a little girl who just wanted to live. Or atleast that’s what I’d imagine.” Hank quickly checked his phone before putting it away. “Argh, basically what I’m sayin’ is that empathy is a weird thing. It isn’t... exactly an emotion, per say, but it’s what makes a living being something more.” Hank looked at me for a quick second. “What? I tried, didn’t I?”

“I heard somewhere that emotions are made of empathy,” I commented. “Is that true?” Hank furrowed his brow for a few seconds.

“Yeah, I’d say so. Where’d you hear that from?”

“I think I read this weird website article on it Apparently, there’s like three different kinds of empathy.”

“Wow, I never knew that.” We went into an awkward silence for a minute, unsure of what to say.

“So uh, the meeting between Markus and Warren is happening tonight, right?” I asked. I had almost forgotten that this was happening today.

“Yeah, it is,” Hank replied. “Apparently, everyone in New Jericho’s gonna be there.” Wait a second...

“Everyone?” I had a suspicion brewing. Hank nodded. “Shit.”

“What’s the problem? It’s a big event.”

“Big enough to drop an EMP on?” Hank’s eyes widened at the thought. He’s figured it out. He swiftly pulled out his phone again, furiously swiping and tapping on it

“Fuck!” He yelled. “I don’t have Connor’s number.”

“You gotta drive all the way there?” I asked him, through all the frustration.

“Yup,” He answered. “You don’t mind being here all by yourself?”

“Yeah, I’m good. Uh actually, I’m gonna see if I can get to Kara. You go and warn everyone, I’ll make sure Kara makes it out.”

“Alright, good luck kid.” He went to his car. The engine roared again and Hank drove off towards the impending doom. And I took off towards the Border Control. This is going a very long night, wasn't it? Yes, yes it is.


	11. Digital Parkour

It wasn’t until I had gotten back on my feet that I noticed that my bag was still glued to my back. Hank was long gone, and now I was by myself again. The night was quietly blowing away in the background. There were patches of snow everywhere. There wasn’t a single person to be seen. I guess the curfew is still in effect. According to Kara, the last bus leaves at midnight. And there isn’t going to be another one for at least a couple of hours. That means I’ve still got about fifteen or so minutes to make it to the terminal.

And that was when I saw the beams of lights. Flashlights, emanating from the corner of the street. But who was it? I kept close to the wall of a nearby building. My hands gripped the edge of wall. It was made of good old-fashioned bricks. My face dropped the moment I peeked from the corner. The men in black were patrolling the street. Soldiers. That was the last thing I wanted to see. Hang on a minute, why are soldiers patrolling the streets? Unless... Oh no. I hate to say it, but it’s a trap. The meeting was the bait, and it looks as though Markus fell for it. Everyone in Jericho, under one roof, in no position to escape. Warren lied. She doesn’t care about peace, she just wants them gone. And she’s gonna cook them with an EMP. Why am I not surprised? If these soldiers are here to stop any deviant that tries to run away, then that means Border Control is rigged. I had another look at the soldiers. One. Two. Two soldiers. Okay, I can work with two soldiers. I turned away from the corner, making sure that they don’t have a lone of sight to me, and set down my bag. The only thing that can get me to Kara now is sitting quietly on my hand.

“I’m sorry I have to leave you here, bag,” I whispered quietly to the bag. “I can’t afford to slow down.” So now the question is ‘how do I get past both of them with either one noticing’? There isn’t anything to hide behind. The street was as empty as my dinner plate on a good night. One of the soldiers flashed a bright red colour across the front of their helmet. Of course! They’re not just helmets, they’re visors. It’s their eyes and ears. I swung the screen to face me and immediately began easiest hacking trick in my book. If they’re blind and deaf for even a few seconds, I can sneak by. Alright, one down, one to go. I checked on the soldiers again. They continued walking their usual robotic fashion. Bingo. I’m ready. Just as the soldiers crossed, they shook theirs head rapidly. I made a quick sprint across the street, never taking a chance to look back. They were desperately trying to remove their helmets. What can I say? Feedback hurts. By the time their helmets were off, I was safely on the other side of the street, and out of sight. I want to hope that those are the only soldiers I’ll ever see tonight, but I know it won’t be the case. Hopefully, I don’t have to confront one.

Now there’s only about twelve minutes to midnight. My legs picked up the pace, and eventually transitioned from walking to running. But for some reason, I don’t feel tired. My heart feels ready pump a tank full of blood. My legs were ready to outrun a yacht. My lungs feel ready to fill a Even my eyes were wide awake. Like one of those expensive sports car, I kept accelerating. And there was no sign of stopping. For every second that passed, the soles of my feet crashed harder and harder into the snowy road. I’m still amazed that I haven’t slipped yet. Am I an android? Wait what? No! Isaac, you ate a burger less than twelve hours ago, you’re not an android. I’m not gonna complain, but how am I able to run so fast? Was I always this fast? I’m no Philadelphian boxer, but if I ever get out of this unharmed, I might just become an athlete. Around the corner, the white crescent was in full view above the night sky, lighting up the path ahead. Come on Isaac, you can make it. I was starting to feel the fluids in my lungs rising up. My throat was slowly turning into a trade route, and the mucus were the merchants. Oh my god.

I can see Border Control from here. I am _so_ close. But Kara’s even closer. And this point, I don’t know if she’s closer to death or Canada. I could just make out what appears to be a bus headed for the border. I kept my pace up as high as possible, determined to catch up. Wait what? The bus just drove off? Hold on... oh, I see. The bus drove around to the back of the bright building, so Kara can get on after she gets through. So if the bus is this early, then I only have five minutes left. I have to hurry. I can make, I can make it, I can... There was no point in saying it, the coarse breathing drowned out everything. I can feel the stitch in my stomach. My body feels like its trying to fold over itself. My grip on the crowbar was loosening. But this was it. This was the home stretch. The final road. I can see the entrance. A soldier perched on either side. For the first time in fourteen minutes, I finally slowed down to a halt in front of the soldiers. I was panting like crazy. You might even mistake my expression for an energetic dog.

“Hey, is everything alright?” One of them asked. I couldn’t tell which one asked me. I was too busy slowing my heart down. Along with everything else. “You look puffed.”

“I’m okay,” I looked up. “Here you go.” I handed one of them my ticket, before returning to my excessive panting. The soldier checked the ticket before handing it back to me.

“Okie, here ya go. Have a nice trip.” I waved them goodbye before sprinting inside. My shoes made a quiet squeak as I braked to a stop. There were only a handful of people heading out of the country, spread out across different lines. I scanned the room, trying to prove to myself that I made it on time. I danced across the back of the room, looking for the small flower of silver hair. My eyes widened when I finally found her. Bad news Isaac, she’s at the front of the line. Do something. NOW. I quickly pulled up my watch, determined to hack the receptionist’s scanner. I’m almost there, hang on Kara. I furiously bashed my sweaty fingers on the screen, making sure each and every touch was detected. Finally, I’m gonna be-

_**BEEP.** _

Everyone in the room turned to face Kara. I heard a few gasps from the civilians in the room. Every single sight and every single barrel was aimed straight at her head, eager to blow it wide open. No. No no no, I can’t have failed... I won’t. Kara’s hands were rising up. Each breath turned into a silent growl. One, no two, three soldiers. The two soldiers outside burst onto the scene. I hacked into their visors disrupted their sight and hearing, just long enough to make one final sprint. I did the unthinkable. There I was. Standing in front of Kara, shielding her from all three soldiers with my body. I’ve been through too much, lost too much. I won’t let them.

“Hey, step aside buddy!” One of the soldiers yelled. All of their helmets were off. “She’s a deviant.” All I could do was shake my head. I held my arms to show that I wasn’t armed. When I looked towards Kara, I saw a surprised expression staring right back at me. Her hands were shaking. She was just as scared as I was.

“She’s not an android,” I tried my best to cobble up a bunch of words together. “She’s... she’s an old friend.” I could feel the tension in the air. If they realised I’m lying, it’ll be the end of me. But I had to do it.

“Nice try pal, we just scanned her,” The middle soldier spoke. “She’s a deviant alright.” I shook my head. “Look, I’m warning you, if you don’t move, we WILL remove you with force.” Okay Isaac, stay calm. What on earth can you do? Let’s see, I hacked the receptionist’s scanner so that it always reads “human”. So if I can find a way to use that...

“Before you take me away, can you scan her again?” I looked at the receptionist. Something was off about him. He was sweating even more than I was. Why is he of all people scared?

“Alright, ya know what?” The soldier looked past us and nodded to the receptionist. “Phil, scan her again." His eyes were reflecting a lime green colour in the light. I stepped away so that Phil could properly scan Kara. Except, all he did was stare into his scanner.

“Isaac, why are you doing this?” I heard Kara whisper from beside me.

“Just trust me.” I whispered back, making sure no one else heard me. Phil still hadn’t scanned Kara yet. I would’ve grown livid had I not noticed the anguish on his face. He’s struggling to do it.

“I’m sorry, sir,” he finally spoke up. “I’ve had enough of this. Tell me when you’re done.” NO. The receptionist dropped the scanner on his desk and walked out of the exit gate. No no no NO. This is NOT happening. He was our only hope. I watched as he walked out, hoping he might change his mind at the last second. He never did. I turned back around to face the soldier again. He had already grabbed hold of his own scanner and aimed it straight at Kara. I guess this is it. I’m sorry Kara, I tried my best. A tear drop rolled across the edge of my eye. I could hear the beam busily scanning away, deciding both of our fates. The worst part about all of this is that she’ll never know the truth about her memories, or why I came back, or even if her family will ever realise that she made it this far. Once that scanner makes a sound, my life, as I know it will be over. If I’m lucky, I’ll rot in a jail cell. If not, well, I’ll rot in a tombstone.

_**NO ANDROID DETECTED.** _

“Huh,” the soldier looked at his scanner, bewildered by the result. “I guess it must’ve been a glitch or something,” Hold up, did I hear that right? I turned to Kara, wondering what just happened. Is this a miracle? I could sense the relief in her eyes. There was a smile across her face again.

“Damn right it was!” Somebody from the crowd shouted at the three soldiers. Kara gently made our way to the exit, where the bus was waiting for us. None of this makes any sense. How did we get away with that? Kara took a huge sigh of relief as we stepped out into the snowy darkness again. The bus was just metres away, with its door wide open, inviting us to Canada. Except we weren't focused on the bus. Our eyes honed in on the lonely man hunched on a nearby bench, with his head in his hands. He looked up to us when we approached him. It was Phil. 

"How are you still here?" He turned towards Kara.

"Me?" Kara pointed towards herself. "All I did was just-"

"No," Phil cut her off. "H-How did you come back?" His hands were everywhere, trying to illustrate his thoughts. "You came to my desk, you handed your ticket, once I scanned you, you just... took a step back and put your hands up. No panic, no shock, nothing. Then they shot you in the head and dragged you away. Why didn't you try to convince them?" Kara took a little while to think of what to say. I spent that time trying to figure what he was saying? Does that mean he was the guy who originally scanned her? It sure sounds like it.

"Do you remember the two people behind me?" She sat down beside him. 

"Yeah, I think so." Phil nodded in response. 

"Did you let them through?" She asked him gently. I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to say anything. This is something Kara has resolve. 

"Yeah, I never scanned the people behind you," He nodded again. "Why?" Kara cracked a tiny smirk for just a split second. 

"Well, they're my family. I love them, and I'd do anything to make sure they were safe." Kara gave a pat on Phil's back before standing back. "Thanks for keeping them alive." Phil looked towards us. Poor Phil. It must've hurt for him to endure those last couple of months. I couldn't help but feel a little sad for him.

"Come on Isaac," Kara steered me towards the bus. "We gotta go." Kara and I stepped on to the bus, taking one last look at Phil, and Detroit, before we finally crept onto the bus. The bus was almost devoid of passengers, save for a couple at the front. There were two columns of seats on either side of the bus. The back seats were free though, so that's where we decided to sit down. Plus there were five seats neatly arranged, so that's a bonus. Of course, I took the window seat.

"So why did you come back, Isaac?" Kara interrogated me on the spot. "Why did you even leave?" I looked away for a short minute, trying to gather the words to explain myself. "Isaac?" 

"I'm sorry I left, okay?" I burst out.

"That's not answering either of my questions." Kara fired back no less than a second later. 

"I found out the truth," my eyes dropped to the floor of the bus. "About why those soldiers came." Her eyes darted around the bus, trying to figure out whether or not press any further. Just thinking about that day hurts, but at least I know what really happened. Eventually, I gave up waiting for her. "A deviant." Kara's snapped towards me in an instant. "A deviant made it through the assembly. There, I said it. I called the DPD and they told me what they knew on my dad." I stared out into the rapidly-changing landscape. When I turned back, Kara's gaze was burrowed into the ground. "I was angry. And I was angry because I thought that deviants were the reason that they died. That's why I left." There was a moment of silence between us. For the next minute, all I could hear was the noise the bus made as it drove along the unusually bumpy road.

"Then why did you come back?" Kara said. Her voice transformed into a whisper. 

"I came back because I was wrong," I responded with a quiet voice. "I was dead. Fucking. Wrong. Hank told me everything that really happened." I took a deep breath in. It wasn't long until we were in Ontario. "It wasn't an accident. Do you know what that means, Kara?"

"That means your father chose to-" Kara flinched... in pain? She quickly rested the right temple of her head in hand. 

"Whoa hey Kara, are you alright?" I jumped the moment she shrieked. 

"Is everything alright back there?" The bus driver called out from the driver's seat. I could tell he was looking at us through one of the many rear-view mirrors positioned around the front of the bus. "You need anything?"

"No, I'm okay!" Kara shouted back to the driver. "Just a headache."

"Do you want, like a cup or something?" He was completely focused on the road this time.

"I'm good, thanks!" Kara leaned back and rest her head on the back of the seat. She didn't look like someone who was sleeping. Her expression was all scrunched up. Is she a Jedi now? 

"What was _that_ all about?" I gazed at her confused. Her head movement was unnatural to say the least, like an old, rusty mechanism that hasn't been oiled in a long time. Is she... malfunctioning? I softly on the shoulder, hoping to get her attention. "Kara?" The look on her face was slowly returning to a more relaxed state. She took a quick glance at my worried stare, before focusing her sight on her hands. She curled and uncurled her fingers, carefully watching each and every inch of movement, before slowly stretching them out in front of her. It's as if she's looking at them for the first time. 

_The first time._

"Isaac?" She finally broke from her robotic trance. "They're not corrupted anymore."

"Wait, your memories? How did they come back?"

"I don't know, the corruption just... went away?" Kara looked completely bewitched. "I guess it took some kind of trigger to get rid of it."

"Well, are you sure you it didn't damage anything?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." Kara gazed back towards the front of the bus to make sure nobody heard. Coast seems clear. Oh boy, do we need a breather. Too much happened in one night. And there's still more to come. Only thing is, I don't think I'm gonna be awake to see them. 

"Kara?"

"Yeah?"

"What exactly DO you remember?"

"Well, I remember waking up in a shop," Kara peeked out from her seat before raising her voice a little. "Fourteen times. But... I only saw Todd in two of them." I could tell she was shocked by her own facts. "It's a different owner every other time."

"Huh... Do you remember anything before any of that?" I could feel the stare from Kara on my face. 

"Yeah," She nodded. "I'd rather not talk about it. It's... It's too intense."

_She begged me non-stop for her life..._

That has to be what she's talking about. No doubt. Stupid me, going around and asking people about their, I should know better.

"That's cool." I waved my hands around, trying to look like a nice and understanding person.

"Alright ladies, families, couples and boy," The bus driver announced from the front of the bus. His voice could be heard all the way to the back of the bus and back. Why hasn't this guy been hired as a game show announcer yet? "Unbuckle your seats, grab your bags and get outta here! You're in Windsor now." We walked to the front door and hopped. The bus driver waved to Kara. "Make sure to drink plenty o' water and get plenty of rest, that'll cure your headache."

"Thanks." Kara tilted her head slightly. I could barely see the right side of her mouth curve upwards. I waved the driver back. When we turned around, we were met with sliding doors. Inside it wasn't so different than Border Control in Detroit. Only there were no soldiers here. Just travellers and staff. There wasn't a single scanner in sight. Speaking of scanners...

"You have any idea how we got past those scanners?" 

"I might have _some_ idea..."

"What did you do?"

"I may or may not have piggy-backed off your watch and hacked every scanner in the room." I switched gazes between her and my watch. She looked at me back with the same expression. "What? The UI is so intuitive, no wonder Connor could do it. And I figured out what you were doing the moment you asked for the receptionist to scan me." My eyebrows rose up, impressed by what she's done. 

"Wow..." Seriously, I'm actually speechless. She figured out all of that while having a gun pointed at her. 

"Your passports please." The receptionist sat in her chair. We were at the front of the line already. I pulled out the papers that Kara gave me. They were a bit scrunched up, but I'm sure it's still a legal ticket. Kara slid our passports through the glass. My passport in particular scraped every inch of the way to the receptionist. She took a quick, but thorough look at both of them, before handing them back, a large purple stamp on each one. "Alright, go on through." She waved us through the door. Taking my first steps in a new country, one full of peace and quiet, it's a lot to take in, despite how refreshing the feeling is. I let how a sigh, knowing that I had rolled up my previous life into a snowball and threw it straight into the face known as Detroit. Goodbye, shitty life. I really hope I don't miss you. It's only now that the adrenaline has finally worn off, that I noticed how cold the place is. I. Am. _Freezing_. Not to mention, I can feel the drowsiness in my eyes.

"Okay, so their address isn't far from here so we should be able to make it by..." Kara noticed me, trying to huddle up and get as warm as I could. After all, I'm wearing a rain coat, and that isn't the best at protecting me from the snow. "Isaac, you're freezing."

"And tired, too."

"There," She pointed towards a small white car near the parking lot. It was one of those CyberLife Autonomous Units. There wasn't any movement that we could see through the windows. We slowly walked up to it, with Kara in front, making sure it was as empty as we first saw it. Thank goodness it was, I don't think I can standing out in the cold much more. It only took a tap of a button for Kara to open up the door. The front seats swung around to meet us both. The back seats simply laid, unmoving, completely attached to the self-driving car. Kara took one of the two front seats while I threw myself into the back of the car. The seats didn't do much to cushion the landing, but they did help settling me in what was going to be a very short nap. All I could hear was the wind crashing against the car outside. When I opened an eye, I saw Kara, heavily focused on a screen. The news. I tuned my ears and tried my best to make out what she was happening. 

"... From what we've gathered here at KNC, an EMP strike was ordered to go off just minutes ago, by none other than President Warren herself." A familiar news anchor was on the screen. She's the same one who did the exclusive on Elijah Kamski. Dad would talk about how he was on screen during the interview, even if it was only for a second. "As far as we're concerned, this attempt will definitely damage our relationship with the deviants of New Jericho. From all of us here at KNC, we're sorry about what happened, and we hope that the relationship between us gets better. As for the President..." Kara switched the radio to some relaxing jazz music, and I closed myself off for the rest of the trip. 

A brief couple of minutes later, the car quietly slowed to a halt in front what was the a miniature mansion. Once I stepped out, all I could for the next minute was marvel at how huge it was. It towered over its neighbouring houses, watching over the street like a protective night guard. Despite being as big as a mansion, it didn't look like a multi-million piece of property. Just a really big house. Next to the door was a small, yellow doorbell.

"I'm finally here..." Kara whispered. She's beyond excited to see them again. Excitedly, she rushed up to the doorbell and pressed it as she could, hoping that it would ring louder.

_**RRRRRIIIIINNNNG.** _

On the other side of the door, we could footsteps, getting louder, and louder, until they came to a sudden stop. The door slowly opened, revealing just the face. Was it Rose? Because I have no clue.

"Is there anything I can..." Her voice trailed off. Definitely. We did it. "Kara?!" Her eyes were wide with both shock and relief. She swung open the door almost immediately and pulled her into a heartwarming hug. I could barely keep my eyes up. "How are you still alive?" Kara pulled away to gesture at me. 

"This is Isaac," She introduced me. I tried my best to give Rose a handshake. "He helped reboot me."

"Alright, well, come on in, it's warm inside." I quickly stepped inside, eager to be away from the weather. Kara was right behind me. Just beyond the door, were the stairs, leading to... well actually, I don't know, what's normally upstairs, bedrooms? They were facing away from us and towards the living room, which was just up ahead. 

"Rose," Kara called out. Rose was buzzing all over the place, excited. "Are Alice and Luther here?"

"YES," She squealed. "They're upstairs." I may or may not have underestimated the amount of excitement that would be in this room at once. It was a faint, but noticeable noise, but I could've sworn I heard footsteps coming from upstairs. Eventually, a large man came rushing down the stairs.

"Rose, is something..." He just _stopped_ at the sight of Kara. Kara wasn't any different. They were staring into each other's souls, amazed and relieve that the other is alive. Soon enough, Kara gave way and made a beeline straight for him.

"Luther!" She cried. "Oh you're okay!" They wrapped each other into a heartfelt hug. Kara was airborne for at least an entire second or two. "I thought I'd never see you again, I thought never see Alice-"

"It's okay, Kara, you're here now." He put his hand behind her head. "I missed you so much, we all missed you, Kara." Watching them embrace is, well, I don't know to describe it. It reminded of Mom and Dad. So pure...

And that was when my insomnia came back to haunt me again. I lumbered towards the couch like a zombie eager for a brain or three and tripped in a deep sleep. I've already tried everything I could to stay awake. Hell, I'm too tired to smile. I'm done for the night. There was a warm tear trailing down my face as my eyes closed off from the rest of the world. And I'm not sure why. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello fellow deviants! 
> 
> I'm writing this to let you know that there's a high chance I won't be able to post anything for the next week or two. The next chapter is gonna be the last chapter of my original draft of Happiness.exe. I apologise for not doing this more often, I'm still a newbie to AO3. It takes a lot to start writing a story. And it takes a hell of a lot more to finish it. Once I finish the original story, I'll get to work on fixing and refining certain elements of the story that don't quite feel 100% to me. 
> 
> Edit: I felt like this chapter didn't end on a good enough note, so I've added what WOULD be part of the next chapter to this one.
> 
> Edit 2: I need some feedback on something. I’ll admit right now, that this last chapter is taking me a lot of time to write, and that’s mostly because I don’t know which perspective to write from. Isaac or Kara? Please, let me know, I am tearing my head inside out to try and decide. If I’m still undecided, I might just go in and do both, switching from one to the other.
> 
> XLR8


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